March 28, 2025
Dear Representative:
The undersigned labor organizations representing aviation workers urge you to cosponsor the Rights for the TSA Workforce Act (H.R.2086), reintroduced bipartisan legislation that makes sure frontline Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) have the same protections and rights as other federal workers under Title 5 of the U.S. code.
The Transportation Security Administration was born in the aftermath of the worst domestic terror attack on American soil. For more than 20 years, TSOs have strengthened our aviation security at more than 400 airports nationwide. These dedicated officers provide a primary layer of security screening for nearly 3 million airline passengers daily and more than 10 million scheduled commercial flights annually. Every day, they serve on the frontlines of our aviation security transportation network to keep commercial aviation safe and secure. TSOs routinely identify and confiscate weapons at airport security checkpoints, setting a record just last year for the number of firearms confiscated before they could be brought onto flights. For their essential service to our nation, these workers have more than earned the right to due process and the ability to collectively bargain. Due process and collective bargaining both enhance safety/security culture.
The Rights for the TSA Workforce Act would provide TSOs full federal employee collective bargaining rights, access to an independent third party for dispute resolution, and compensation under the General Services wage system. Currently, TSOs do not have these basic workplace rights afforded to other federal workers due to the TSA workforce being excluded from the Title 5 personnel system when TSA was created. The legislation would direct TSA to respect workers’ current tenure and status and other benefits, such as leave, pay, and health insurance, during the conversion to Title 5.
Enacting this legislation would mean less turnover at the agency, which would improve passenger security with a strengthened TSO workforce. We thank Members for considering workers’ perspectives and urge you to join Congressman Bennie Thompson in cosponsoring this legislation. Please get in touch with Alex Marston (Alex.Marston@mail.house.gov) to sign on.
Sincerely,
Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA)
American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE)
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO)
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA)
Communications Workers of America (CWA)
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)
National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA)
Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS)
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD)
Transport Workers Unions of America (TWU)
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