Transportation Security Administration (TSA)

On February 21st of this year, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) voted to begin the process of transitioning from Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security screening operations at the Orlando International Airport to a private screening contractor. Ultimately, due to the public outcry of passengers, elected officials and union members, GOAA abandoned their efforts to […]

Washington, DC – Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issued this statement in support of the Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act: “We applaud Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) for introducing legislation that gives our nation’s hardworking Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) the workplace rights […]

Washington, DC — Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issues this statement on the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Vice Admiral Peter V. Neffenger as TSA administrator: “I congratulate Peter Neffenger on his new role as Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and look forward to working with him to find […]

Air traffic in the United States has steadily grown since the end of the recession, and recent projections by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) predict that it will continue to grow by an average of 2.2 percent each year over the next two decades. By 2034, the FAA forecasts, “U.S. commercial air carriers are projected […]

Sometimes the smart thing to do and the right thing to do are one and the same.  That’s the case with providing full rights to America’s 45,000 Transportation Security Officers (TSOs). The TSOs, employed by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), keep travelers and personnel safe at airports across the country.  But unlike virtually all federal […]

By screening passengers and baggage at airports, mass transit systems, and large public gatherings throughout the country, our nation’s 45,000 Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) keep travelers and personnel safe. These civil servants play a critical safety and security role in our increasingly mobile society. Unfortunately, while TSOs experience the same challenges as the larger federal […]

WASHINGTON, DC—Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) President Edward Wytkind issues this statement in response to the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) final rule on Aircraft Repair Station Security [Docket No. TSA-2004-17131]: “We are extremely disappointed with TSA’s final rule on aircraft repair station security released earlier today. The final rule further rolls back already weak security […]

Calls for Global Airline Emissions Policy, Rigorous Oversight of Contracted Out Airline Security Operations WASHINGTON, DC—The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, (TTD) vows to combat airlines that ‘forum shop’ for cheap labor and evade collective bargaining obligations, and to oppose European Union proposals on aviation climate change in favor of a ‘balanced’ global solution. Transportation union […]

Too often, front-line federal Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) are demonized and scapegoated for simply doing their jobs and implementing policies dictated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).  In this environment, calls for turning over more TSA screening responsibility to the private sector become a convenient and all too predictable rallying cry among those who believe […]