December 11, 2009
The Time for Southers is Now
In a Dec. 10 letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley pointed to a recent TSA security lapse to again urge a quick Senate vote on the pending nomination of Erroll Southers to be the next agency head.
Given the numerous problems impacting TSA—including the recent Internet posting of a sensitive operations manual and its continuing over-reliance on private contractors—TSA clearly is in need of a permanent leader, Kelley said.
"Mr. Southers already has been approved by two Senate committees and is clearly well-qualified for the job," Kelley said. "This continued delay in seating a permanent TSA administrator only impedes efforts to strengthen the agency."
The letter to Sen. Reid is a follow-up to a similar letter NTEU sent earlier this month. More
Think About It
As a hardworking, smart, fair-minded and independent TSA employee, you should want a union on your side that shares those characteristics. NTEU has effectively represented another airport security force—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers—for more than 30 years.
Keep an eye out for your airport colleagues in the blue uniforms and ask them about all the benefits of joining NTEU. After all, in 2007 CBP Officers chose NTEU to be their exclusive workforce representative by a 2 to 1 margin in the largest federal sector election ever.
Workplace Success Stories
Much of NTEU’s representational success is the result of our local airport presence. When TSA employees need help, NTEU is quick to provide it. Whether it is a simple phone call to management or an oral reply, NTEU staff attorneys are a local presence that can provide rapid, on-the-ground assistance to TSA members nationwide.
In Texas, NTEU recently secured a well-deserved promotion for a TSA employee after the request was originally denied by management on the grounds that it would constitute a conflict of interest with another employee. In a phone call to airport management, a local NTEU staff attorney explained that no conflict of interest existed because the two employees in question worked different shifts and would not interact while on duty. TSA officials agreed and granted the employee’s original promotion request.
Also, an NTEU staff attorney helped a Chapter 310 (TSA Atlanta) member keep her job as a passenger screener after management threatened the employee with dismissal for allegedly texting while on duty. When NTEU questioned the validity of the charge, local TSA management immediately rescinded the removal notice. And, in a recent oral reply in Ohio, NTEU succeeded in getting a proposed removal for a Chapter 319 (TSA Port Columbus) member who had allegedly “failed to follow directions” reduced to a three-day suspension. Read more about our representational victories for TSA employees.
Many TSA employees say NTEU’s success gives them hope that the union will succeed in its fight for collective bargaining rights.
NTEU
is ready and willing to help.
 If
you have questions, call toll free
1-866-591-5735 or e-mail
TSA@nteu.org.
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