AFGE Plans Legal Challenge After DHS Revokes TSA Collective Bargaining Agreement

Less than 24 hours after the U.S. House of Representatives took bipartisan action to restore collective bargaining rights to more than one million federal workers, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced she was unilaterally terminating the collective bargaining agreement between AFGE and the Transportation Security Administration covering 47,000 TSA officers. The termination is expected to take effect on January 12, according to Bill Reiley, a Portland Jetport Transportation Security Officer (TSO) and Regional Vice President of AFGE Local 2617.

"TSOs protect the traveling public and the union protects the transportation security officer, but this misguided decisions eliminates those protections TSOs fought so hard for," said Reilley. "This is an attempt to destroy our union and pave the way to privatize the Transportation Security Administration as it is outlined in Chapter 5 of the infamous Project 2025, a blueprint for Trump's administration. This will not only drive down wages and destroy employee morale, but it will also undermine the mission of this critical agency that was formed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks to prevent future acts of terrorism in the skies."

Chapter 5 of Project 2025 states that '[u]ntil it is privatized, TSA should be treated as a national security provider, and its workforce should be deunionized immediately.' Noem’s decision follows a preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington in June that blocked her March 7 attempt to terminate our union contract. AFGE National President Everett Kelley vowed to see the administration in court.

“TSA officers, many of whom are veterans, are patriotic individuals who swore an oath to protect the safety of the traveling public in our airports and in our skies, ensuring that another horrific attack like Sept. 11 never happens again. Secretary Noem’s decision to rip up the union contract for 47,000 TSA officers is an illegal act of retaliatory union-busting that should cause concern for every person who steps foot in an airport,” Kelley said.
 

“AFGE will continue to challenge these illegal attacks on our members’ right to belong to a union, and we urge the Senate to pass the Protect America’s Workforce Act immediately.”

“Prior to having a union contract, many employees endured hostile work environments and workers felt like they didn’t have a voice on the job, which led to severe attrition rates and longer wait times for the traveling public," said AFGE Council 100 President Hydrick Thomas. "Since having a contract, we’ve seen a more stable workforce, and there has never been another aviation-related attack on our country.”