TSA Workers Struggling During Partial Government Shutdown

As the partial federal government shut down grinds into its fifth week, airport screeners with the Transportation Security Administration are struggling to stay afloat. Maine TSA workers, who are members of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2617, already endured a 43-day government shutdown last fall and another 4-day shutdown earlier this year.

The partial government shutdown began on Feb. 13, after Congress did not act to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Democrats and Republicans have been at loggerheads over DHS funding following the shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of immigration agents in Minneapolis in January. Democrats are demanding that the Trump administration restrict roving patrols of ICE agents, tighten parameters around warrants for searches and arrests, strengthen use-of-force policies and require ICE agents to wear body cameras and remove masks. While Democrats are withholding support for immigration enforcement without more reforms, they are also calling on the Trump administration to fund other parts of DHS, including TSA. The White House, on the other hand, is insisting on comprehensive funding for immigration operations. On Thursday, for the fourth time, majority Republicans in the US Senate, including Senator Susan Collins, voted 51-46 to reject a bill to fully fund DHS and end the partial shutdown. Meanwhile, negotiations with the White House remain deadlocked.

The longer the shutdown continues, the more TSA workers struggle financially as they work without pay. Increasingly TSA workers are calling out of work. The number of TSA absences have doubled since the shutdown. More than 300 TSA agents nationwide have already left the agency entirely as of March 12. While Maine’s airports have not had the the kind of long lines and wait times as larger airports, union officials in Maine say members have left the TSA because of the stress of the job and the constant shutdowns.

“We just hired three new TSOs, but they had to come to work for no pay,” said Bill Reiley, a Portland Jetport screener and Regional Vice President of AFGE Local 2617. “One of our members told me she had an emergency fund, but she burned up a lot of it during the 42-day shutdown and does not have that to fall back on this time. A number of our members have had to get part-time jobs to make ends meet.”

Reiley noted that his members are also struggling due to inflation and the recent spike in fuel prices due to the President’s war with Iran. They have started another food bank to feed members and their families until the shutdown ends.