The Obama election victory has heartened unions working to organize the Transportation Security Administration. According to Government Executive the American Federation of Government Employees and National Treasury Employees Union are moving quickly to take advantage of a new Democratic adminstration.
In 2007, federal unions attempted to have collective bargaining rights for TSA workers included in major homeland security legislation. But President Bush threatened to veto it, citing the collective bargaining provision, and the language was stripped from the final bill.
Obama has already indicated that he would favor unionization and compensation changes. However, those claims came from candidate Obama. As Commander-in-Chief his tune may change.
Once our security workers at the airports that the Bush administration considered part of our overall national defense system have a chance to organize, can union organizers in our military ranks be far behind. Philosophically, there is little difference.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
