By Steve Neavling
The Trump administration is rescinding union rights for roughly 47,000 Transportation Security Administration employees, a move the agency claims will improve workforce efficiency and national security, the Associated Press reports.
The Department of Homeland Security announced Friday it is terminating the TSA’s collective bargaining agreement, arguing it has allowed underperforming employees to stay on the job and made it harder to respond to threats. The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA workers, denounced the decision as an “unprovoked attack” and vowed to fight it.
“This action will ensure Americans will have a more effective and modernized workforce,” TSA said in a statement.
Union leaders said the move was retaliation for their broader opposition to Trump administration policies affecting federal workers.
“Now our TSA officers are paying the price with this clearly retaliatory action,” the AFGE said.
The collective bargaining agreement, signed last year under then-TSA Administrator David Pekoske, had aimed to boost pay and retention among airport screeners, who check millions of passengers daily for weapons and explosives.
The TSA said nearly 200 employees were working full-time on union matters while still receiving government pay. The union disputed that claim and said such work is allowed under federal law.
The agency currently has no permanent leadership. In a message to staff, acting Administrator Adam Stahl said the decision aligns with the Trump administration’s efforts to increase government efficiency.
