Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

TSA's Union Power Grab: Thousands Slowing Down Airports
CNS News ^ | May 18, 2016 | Michelle Malkin

Posted on 05/19/2016 12:37:26 PM PDT by KeyLargo

TSA's Union Power Grab: Thousands Slowing Down Airports

Michelle Malkin

All you travelers stuck in mile-long TSA security lines are pawns. Convenient political pawns. Big Labor bosses want more power and more money. Stranded travelers are just the latest victims in this age-old game of D.C. extortion.

Union leaders want you to think the fault lies with a stingy Congress unwilling to fork over enough money to fill screener shortages. White House spokesman Josh Earnest poured more partisan fuel on the fire last week by blaming the nationwide slowdowns on "the inability of Republicans in Congress to govern the country."

What a load of flying horse hockey.

The 15-year-old Transportation Security Administration now has a massive annual budget of nearly $7.6 billion and a workforce of nearly 60,000. They had enough tax dollars to waste on an idiotic $1.4 million iPad app that randomly points left or right; $3 million on more than 200 useless explosive detection "puffer" machines that didn't detect explosives reliably; and unknown gobs in awards and automatic bonuses to senior TSA managers at a time when the agency was repeatedly failing internal tests of its ability to stop weapons, bombs and terror threats.

Yet, last week, with airlines, airports and customers all raising holy hell, Congress scraped together $34 million more to pay TSA screeners overtime and fund nearly 800 more screeners to address the summer travel crush.

It's still not enough of course. It's never enough. Since last fall, the TSA workforce (unionized under the Obama administration) has staged protests at major airports (including Dallas-Fort Worth, JFK, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis?St. Paul and Atlanta) organized by the American Federation of Government Employees, which is demanding full collective bargaining rights under federal labor law, along with hefty pay increases.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: airports; democrats; govtabuse; obama; tsa; tsabudget; tsaoutofcontrol; tyranny; union
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-52 next last
"When it comes to public employee unions, there's no such thing as a coincidence."


1 posted on 05/19/2016 12:37:27 PM PDT by KeyLargo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo

Glad I don’t fly anymore and I sympathize with those that have to.


2 posted on 05/19/2016 12:38:49 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo; ExTexasRedhead

Here’s the thing, Think Ronald Reagan and the Air Traffic Controllers! He should move quickly to push airports all over the country to set up their own private screening operations ( LIke San Francisco and others have done already). This is the only way to fight PE unions, just put them out of business in a way that they cannot sue.


3 posted on 05/19/2016 12:41:19 PM PDT by vette6387
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo

Anyone know the hourly wage these suitcase sniffers are getting?


4 posted on 05/19/2016 12:42:25 PM PDT by dainbramaged (Get out of my country now)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: vette6387

Fire all of them!


5 posted on 05/19/2016 12:45:15 PM PDT by sheik yerbouty ( Make America and the world a jihad free zone!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

And the answer from the Democrats and their union supporters is always hire more, expand and increase the size of government.

The union representing TSA screeners have said 6,000 more screeners need to be hired nationwide to have checkpoints fully staffed.

On Friday, the head of TSA will be in Chicago to meet to meet with his team here, and get an up-close look at operations at the city’s airports. He’ll also meet with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin to discuss the situation.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2016/05/19/tsa-demonstrates-how-carrying-prohibited-items-slow-security-lines/


6 posted on 05/19/2016 12:46:08 PM PDT by KeyLargo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

Last flight, November 2001.

God willing, my last flight ever.


7 posted on 05/19/2016 12:49:17 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: vette6387

I believe that no Montana airports have TSA inspectors anymore.


8 posted on 05/19/2016 12:49:37 PM PDT by Paladin2 (Live Free or Die.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo

Why the big slow-down all of the sudden? Maybe they think the terrorists will get tired of waiting in line?


9 posted on 05/19/2016 12:50:45 PM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dainbramaged

Besieged by misconduct, TSA sows culture of dysfunction and distrust

Topics: Criminal Justice / National Security

By Andrew Becker / March 14, 2016

The message, broadcast in an internal video to the 60,000-strong federal agency, was clear: The Transportation Security Administration had an integrity problem, not to mention a public relations headache.

Against the lavender-hued backdrop of the Homeland Security Department logo, then-Deputy Administrator John Halinski announced that employee misconduct and criminal behavior – along with the headlines those misdeeds spurred – were “damaging to the mission and to our reputation as a high-performance counterterrorism agency.”

“Folks, we’re better than this. We can do better than this,” Halinksi said in the recorded announcement, which was required viewing for the agency’s workforce. “Illegal activity of any kind will not be tolerated, and supervisors must lead by example.”

Released months after a House hearing during which lawmakers grilled TSA officials about misconduct, the 2013 video outlined a strategy to target corruption, which was on the rise. From 2010 to 2012, the TSA investigated 9,600 misconduct cases, nearly half of which merited the employee being suspended or fired, according to a 2013 U.S. Government Accountability Office report.

https://www.revealnews.org/article/besieged-by-misconduct-tsa-sows-culture-of-dysfunction-and-distrust/


10 posted on 05/19/2016 12:51:15 PM PDT by KeyLargo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Secret Agent Man

You lucky dog!

11 posted on 05/19/2016 12:51:36 PM PDT by Blue Jays (Rock Hard, Ride Free)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Blue Jays

Besides I dont like being unarmed. Well, not unarmed, just not without firearm.


12 posted on 05/19/2016 12:53:34 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo
Just your typical Union slowdown to extort contract concessions.

The TSA needs to die and airport screening needs to be privatized

13 posted on 05/19/2016 12:54:46 PM PDT by rdcbn ("If what has happened here is not treason, it is its first cousin." Zell Milleraere)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Secret Agent Man

Sept.2002 for me.


14 posted on 05/19/2016 12:55:54 PM PDT by exit82 (Road Runner sez:" Let's Make America Beeping Great Again! Beep! Beep!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: smokingfrog

Transportation Security Agency Creates Airport Chaos, As Union Demands More Money

May 16, 2016

In response to the security nightmare, Congress is already shifting millions of dollars to the TSA. As the DailyMail explains:

Last week, Congress agreed to shift $34 million in TSA funding forward, allowing the agency to pay overtime to its existing staff.

The money will also go towards hiring 768 screeners by June 15 to bring numbers up to the congressionally mandated ceiling of 42,525.

The same DailyMail article points out that the Union isn’t satisfied with just 800 new members:

The TSA has pledged to add 800 new security screeners by June, but the union that represents these workers says 6,000 new hires need to be made to speed up the screening process.

The TSA put out a long-list of excuses in a statement responding to the delays, blaming budget cuts and passengers while accepting no responsibility:

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/05/16/tsa-creates-airport-chaos-union-demands-money/


15 posted on 05/19/2016 12:57:03 PM PDT by KeyLargo
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Secret Agent Man

"...Besides I dont like being unarmed..."


Given all the TSA delay headaches it won't be long until there is a Sky-Uber one of these days.
Pilot might demand firearms be unloaded and locked yet one can load-up upon reaching the tarmac. Who knows!


16 posted on 05/19/2016 12:57:34 PM PDT by Blue Jays (Rock Hard, Ride Free)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: dainbramaged

Just looked it up... Starting pay is $15 and change...


17 posted on 05/19/2016 12:57:56 PM PDT by mugsaway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: exit82

Doesnt it feel good not being searched by big brother all this time, oogled at through imaging machines, wasting all that time?

Not flying all this time has been pretty great.


18 posted on 05/19/2016 1:10:50 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; Not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo
Deputy Administrator John Halinski announced that employee misconduct and criminal behavior – along with the headlines those misdeeds spurred – were “damaging to the mission and to our reputation as a high-performance counterterrorism agency.”

“Folks, we’re better than this. We can do better than this,”

"High performance??!!" Whenever I'm at the airport, I see plenty of gold-bricking, slovenly, low IQ TSA "folks", "folks" who couldn't get a job at McDonalds.

And no, Mr Halinski, you cannot and will not "do better". Its not in the nature of unaccountable government employees.

Fire them all and privatize.

19 posted on 05/19/2016 1:11:50 PM PDT by bkopto
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: KeyLargo

read in Trump on Reagan & PATCO


20 posted on 05/19/2016 1:13:17 PM PDT by stylin19a
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-52 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson