TWU, TSA, and BUSH

Hopeful

Veteran
Dec 21, 2002
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Deny Rights to Airport Screeners


Bush Administration Hides Behind War on Terrorism to
Deny Rights to Airport Screeners
Decision That Bargaining Rights Incompatible with War Effort Deeply Offensive
Washington, D.C. – The following statement was issued today by Sonny Hall, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, in response to the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) decision to deny collective bargaining rights to newly federalized airport security screeners.
The Bush Administration is trying to make the case that being a union member is incompatible with the nation’s war against terrorism. The statement by Admiral Loy is akin to saying that being a union member gives aid and comfort to the enemy. It is time for this Administration to stop hiding behind the war on terrorism to mask a brazen assault on the basic rights of working men and women in this country.
Given the long history of labor-management collaboration in the federal government, there is no credible basis for the Administration to argue that exercising one’s freedom to join a union somehow conflicts with waging war to defend our basic freedoms. Today’s announcement is deeply offensive to TSA employees and all federal workers and it weakens – not strengthens – our national security.
Shortly after 9/11, we made a national commitment to improve an aviation security system that was broken. And Congress overwhelmingly chose to federalize this work force because private security contractors failed to train their workers and paid them barely above the minimum wage, leading to annual turnover rates as high as 400 percent. The nation was shocked by the stories of screeners leaving their jobs for better-paying fast food jobs. So it looked like we were finally starting to get it right. Until today.
We urge the President to reverse this ill advised decision. TSA workers and the nation deserve better.
 
Not to mention that the Dems see it as a great way to get other unions to rip off their due paying members to support the Dem's agenda. Not sure if govt unions can give money to parties but if they can I'm sure the Dems will scam a way to do it.
 
Gee...you don't suppose this union just smells 65,000 new sources of dues do you?

These TSA workers have it made in the shade now compared to what they had. They now have decent salaries, benefits, medical....all the things they never had before.

Remember, congress approved something like 30,000 new employees and somehow, the TSA has managed to hire more than double that by hiring "temporary contract" employees. Well, there's no such thing as temporary, once a government employee....you get my drift.
 
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On 1/13/2003 8:07:27 AM exagony wrote:

Not to mention that the Dems see it as a great way to get other unions to rip off their due paying members to support the Dem's agenda. Not sure if govt unions can give money to parties but if they can I'm sure the Dems will scam a way to do it.
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Since you brought it up....

Actually, the main federal government employee union, AFGE (Association of Federal Government Employees) is one of the few unions that has broken out of the old Democratic Party mold by endorsing the establishment of a Labor Party (gasp!) in the U.S. They're fed up with the way both the Dems and Repubs treat federal employees.

-Airlineorphan
 
Its about time we establish a Labor Party. Gee that only puts us about 100 years behind the Brits. The English had the same thing as us, a "Conservative" Party (Tories= Republicans) and a Liberal(=Democrats) Party. Both parties represented the interests of the rich. Working people decided that neither of them represented their interests and formed a Labor Party.