Government to Cut 3,000 Airport Screeners

AP | 3/27/03 | LESLIE MILLER

[anniegetyourgun]

WASHINGTON (AP) - As many as 3,000 airport screeners could lose their jobs this spring as the government reassesses the size of the work force that it brought to full strength only last November.

The head of the Transportation Security Administration, James Loy, told a House Appropriations subcommittee that he wants to reduce the number of screeners from 54,000 to 51,000 - cutting about one in 18 - and that layoff notices could begin going out April 1.

By October 2004, the government plans to have 48,000 screeners, with reductions through attrition and other steps, an agency spokesman said later.

The chairman of the homeland security panel said that at Groton/New London Airport in Connecticut, 26 federal screeners check an average of one passenger every five hours. Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Kentucky, estimates screeners at a third of U.S. airports check an average of three passengers an hour.

The effort to trim the screening work force comes as Congress scrutinizes Loy's agency, now in its second year of existence. Lawmakers say they want to make sure the agency is doing what Congress intended, including tightening security for the transportation system.

Rogers said he is disappointed by what he said was the agency's emphasis on aviation security at the expense of highways, railroads, pipelines and ports.

"You need to take a good hard look at our border and transportation systems," Rogers told Loy. "If we have a weakness, it will be found."

Other lawmakers said they were concerned about holes in security in public transit systems and cargo shipping.

On Wednesday, the chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation's subcommittee on aviation said he intends to review the agency's security measures at airports and on planes.

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., has suggested moving federal air marshals to coach so airlines do not lose revenue from first-class seats. He also thinks airports may need to be given more flexibility in protecting themselves from terrorist attacks.

Rogers has been a strong critic of the agency's staffing levels, which Congress capped at 45,000 full-time positions last year. Despite the cap, the agency hired 9,000 temporary employees, most of whom had five-year contracts.

[Semper911]

Who is going to search the old ladies?

[Malesherbes]

It's high time. I came back from (eastern) Europe last month through the Atlanta airport. To get from international customs/immigration into the domestic terminal, you have to go through screening.

There was utter confusion in the screening process with six or eight "screeners" hanging about, shucking and jiving, while three were doing all the work.

[TightSqueeze]

As many as 3,000 airport screeners could lose their jobs this spring as the government reassesses the size of the work force that it brought to full strength only last November.

Oh well, easy come, easy go, I guess its back to Mickey-D's... Sir please remove your shoes before ordering, have you Left your Happy-Meal unattended, would you like that super-sized? Great government training.

[anniegetyourgun]

Went through small airport several months ago about 9 am....20-25 screeners standing around along with local police. They all stood there and watched me and my purse go through the machines. No one else was in front of me or behind me.

[IMHO]

Cut 'em all, and restore the second amendment. That's all the security we'd need. Hijackings did not start until law abiding passengers were disarmed.

[Political Junkie Too]

Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., has suggested moving federal air marshals to coach so airlines do not lose revenue from first-class seats.

I thought the idea was to have them up front by the cockpit door? Is this another example of our crack government in action? The reasons that were so important last year to rush this program into place isn't that important this year, so we can move the marshals into the cheap seats in the back of the plane? Will they have to bring on their own meals, too?

-PJ

[shadeaud]

No wonder they wanted to be unionized. Imagine if they were and the word came down about these cutbacks. They would walk off and demand other unions to join in.

[WoofDog123]

"It's high time. I came back from (eastern) Europe last month through the Atlanta airport. To get from international customs/immigration into the domestic terminal, you have to go through screening."

Orlando has the same system, where you cannot even leave customs to go to the city without going BACK through security to take a train to baggage claim...I waited 45 minutes to get through a pointless process.

Lesson - avoid terminating international arrivals in ATL and MCO. The TSA albatross will only gain weight.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

ANTI-TERROR ÜBER ALLES

The mythical "freedom versus security" tradeoff is a false choice.

The 911 attacks did not occur because Americans have too much freedom.

They occurred because terrorists were able to gain access to the cockpits of hijacked aircraft.

Instead of equipping all commercial aircraft with doors which could actually be used to keep hijackers out of cockpits, Washington created an Orwellian monster named the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and hired tens of thousands of minimum-wage Gestapo to root through the underwear of airline passengers and arrest/prosecute those who object.

Simply setting foot in an airport is now considered to be a terrorist act.

The fact that the TSA created a national airport police force without ever addressing the cockpit-door scandal is damning evidence that their mandate has nothing to do with protecting anyone. 

The true mission of the TSA is to turn America into a police state.

Airports are the incubators. 

The statists want to condition us to accept the idea that probable cause is dead and they can search our houses, our hard drives and our persons and demand to see our papers at any time. 

Boycott the airline industry and its airport/POW camps now, or live in a national POW camp later.