WASHINGTON – Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, President and Secretary-Treasurer of the of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), released the following statement to express opposition to David Cummins’ nomination to lead the Transportation Security Administration (TSA):
“For more than two decades, Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) have worked to keep the flying public safe and ensure our skies are secure. In order to carry out their duties and maintain a high quality work environment, it is crucial that TSOs are afforded the same rights and protections as every federal worker – the right to a collective bargaining agreement.
“David Cummins, the current nominee for TSA Administrator, expressed contempt for a unionized TSA workforce and claimed that a collective bargaining agreement ‘hindered’ the mission of the agency. Two attempts to dismantle the collective bargaining agreements of TSOs have been made by the current administration, and twice have those efforts been struck down in court.
“In addition, Mr. Cummins’ views on expanding the Screening Partnership Program (SPP) to more airports across the country are concerning. Private contractors may not receive the same training and oversight as Federal TSA officers, and delegating security checks to for-profit entities could create conflicts of interest and lead to cutting corners on safety. Safety screening should be driven by unified federal standards, not corporate interests.
“As America’s largest transportation labor federation, we condemn the remarks made by Mr. Cummins during his nomination hearing and insist that his nomination be withdrawn or voted down. We urge the administration to nominate a Transportation Security Administrator who values workers’ rights and protects the integrity of the TSA. We believe that only a qualified, experienced Administrator who will work to rebuild the morale of the TSO workforce, has the experience and security background, and maintains strong security standards needed to protect our national airspace should be confirmed to lead the agency.”
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