TSA Screeners are now unionized

[derg]

I think of the TSA like garbage collection.

It's a job at which we all thumb our noses, needs to be done, but it's far easier to complain about rather than come up with creative ideas to improve.

As I've seen, it's not the TSA as much as it is the overwhelming volume of travelers that come to the airport unprepared for screening.

 

[rframe]

Good grief, people really will accept anything if they get exposed to it long enough.

 

[thevideographer]

Security under the TSA is vastly improved compared to pre-9/11. Most of the screeners in MIA where I was based pre-9/11 didn't even speak English at the time. Are there standardization problems? Absolutely. But that's not the fault of the laborers, it's the fault of the administrators. And yes, it needs to be addressed.

Has it really improved? It certainly looks a lot better, but facts are facts - in 11 years the TSA has missed every single actual terrorist. They've stopped some guns and knives from getting on board but a lot of those were being carried by people who have a CCW to begin with (and a few rappers). We shall see if the new full body scanners improve this trend.

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

the TSA has missed every single actual terrorist.

The TSA can't be held responsible for people boarding airplanes in foreign countries and coming here.

 

[jynxyjoe]

The TSA can't be held responsible for people boarding airplanes in foreign countries and coming here.

That would be proof in itself if the TSA is wasn't internally evaluated at random and frequently for domestic travel and their failures are wildly publicized. Someone dust off Rep Mica from Florida, he's credited for helping to create the TSA and is instrumental in dictating it's many failures to the media.

 

[jynxyjoe]

http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2011/01/tsa_threat_detection

Furthermore, available to all.

We've had a series of reports actually going back several years from the inspector general, from the General Accounting Office, and our own TSA Office of Inspection, where they do, as you describe, covert testing," Pistole acknowledged to George Stephanopoulos last month during an interview on Good Morning America. "And unfortunately, [undercover testers] have been very successful over the years.

Now's a good time to remind everyone of Michael Roberts who single handed and unknowingly at the time pushed forward the KCM program when it was still stalled as Crew Pass. Thank you Mr Roberts. We all owe you.

 

[Autothrust Blue]

That would be proof in itself if the TSA is wasn't internally evaluated at random and frequently for domestic travel and their failures are wildly publicized. Someone dust off Rep Mica from Florida, he's credited for helping to create the TSA and is instrumental in dictating it's many failures to the media.

He's also the Congressman from Embry-Riddle. This is not necessarily a coincidence.

Security under the TSA is vastly improved compared to pre-9/11.

 

[ChasenSFO]

Yay! Now a union has their backs if the groping gets exploitative, I've always dreamed of the day!

 

[Houston]

“By agreeing to this deal, the TSA is putting the safety and security of American passengers at risk by allowing federal unions to claim a greater stake in dictating our national security. Instead of focusing on the traveling public the TSA is doubling down on fulfilling the demands of rank and file union members.

“Congress originally intended the TSA to be in the mold of the CIA and FBI. Their employees were supposed to remain vigilant 24/7 to thwart the next terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Unfortunately, the TSA is only perpetuating a charade as a premier federal agency as they continue to fail to perform background checks on their employees, provide inadequate levels of basic security training and are not seriously focused on reprimanding or retraining screeners who receive failing grades in detecting threats.

“The collective bargaining agreement will also double the annual uniform allowance and permit new uniform variations to account for weather. If our Transportation Security Officers, who have zero federal law enforcement training, would return to our nation’s climate controlled airports and work within their Congressionally established roles of screeners and processors they wouldn’t need to worry about the weather. Instead the TSA is continuing to let their employees take the appearance of federal law enforcement officers and is unleashing them onto our nation’s highways, subways, trains and buses against the unsuspecting public.”