US EditionExpect ‘Perfect Storm’ Of TSA Callouts This Weekend As Unpaid Security Workers Hit Breaking Point
Airline CEOs warn that unpaid TSA officers amid the government shutdown have caused security lines up to 4 hours and urge Congress to guarantee pay to avoid worsening travel delays.
- Airline CEOs delivered a March 15 letter stating the situation is 'simply unacceptable' to Congress, calling for action on staffing delays.
- TSA officers are classified as essential and must report to work during the government shutdown without pay, with some receiving $0 paychecks causing financial strain.
- This past Saturday, 55% of TSA agents scheduled to work didn't show up, according to the Department of Homeland Security, while Houston airport recorded Unscheduled Absence rates above 30% on at least five days and wait times of 2, 3 and even 4 hours.
- Industry executives say they are trying to keep things moving, holding flights and rebooking passengers but warning travelers to prepare for delays as 171 million passengers are expected this season.
- Over the past six months, TSA training takes roughly four to six months, and agents have gone unpaid three times, with high stakes during spring break and the 250th anniversary, according to CEOs.
23 Articles
23 Articles
Expect ‘Perfect Storm’ Of TSA Callouts This Weekend As Unpaid Security Workers Hit Breaking Point
Travelers should brace for longer airport security lines as TSA officers are quitting and calling out sick in greater numbers as the partial government shutdown drags into its second month.
America cannot secure its airports with unpaid labor
The BDN Opinion section operates independently and does not set news policies or contribute to reporting or editing articles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com Mike Gayzagian is the president of the TSA Officers Union AFGE Local 2617 representing all TSA officers in New England. He is an 18-year veteran officer of TSA. Every time the federal government shuts down, the same dangerous experiment begins again: the United States as…
These 20 airports don't use TSA screeners and are avoiding security delays
Travelers at airports like San Francisco, Orlando Sanford, and Kansas City shouldn't face staffing-related security delays during the partial government shutdown.Aric Crabb/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty ImagesTwenty US airports outsource their security process to private companies.The companies are still regulated and overseen by the TSA, but they hire their own agents.Unlike their TSA counterparts, private screeners' pay is not pau…
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