AFGE elected as union by TSA screeners!

Transportation Security Administration employees across the country have elected the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO as their exclusive union representative with an 8,903-8,447 vote over the National Treasury Employees Union.

AFGE National President John Gage today issued the following statement:

We are obviously thrilled with the election results, but more importantly are delighted that the Transportation Security Officers now will have the full union representation they rightly deserve. AFGE thanks the TSOs for their support and faith in our union.

AFGE anticipates developing a cooperative and cohesive relationship with TSA as we move to forge a collective bargaining contract that TSOs so desperately need. We will be reaching out to TSOs at airports across the country for their input as to what they would like to see in a contract. We recognize that TSOs in small airports have different concerns from those at large ones. With one nationwide contract, it is essential that we cover all the bases.

The TSA workforce has proven itself time and time again to be dedicated to the DHS mission, and one that cares about the work it does. AFGE is here to make sure that they have the tools and support to accomplish that mission. We have long argued that only a professional and highly motivated workforce can provide the security this country needs. AFGE is very proud to have stood behind TSOs for nine years, and is honored to stand beside them now as full partners in this fight for fair workplace protections.

AFGE looks forward to a strong working relationship with TSA and a better work life for America’s TSOs.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued the following statement today:

After a painfully long process and more than a decade without a voice on the job, more than 40,000 Transportation Security Officers working at airports nationwide have achieved the ability to improve their own lives, as well as the services they provide to others, by voting for workplace representation by the American Federation of Government Employees, AFL-CIO.  Transportation Security Officers join the ranks of firefighters, police and emergency responders, who have a say through collective bargaining to protect the public’s safety and make their jobs more efficient and productive.

In April, more than 80 percent of the TSOs voting in a first election chose to have a union.  Now a majority of those voting in the run-off election have chosen to be a part of the larger labor family in the AFL-CIO, and the 12 million working men and women in the AFL-CIO are proud to welcome them.

Today’s victory affirms the deep-seated desire of working people across the country for a voice on the job and a seat at the table in solving workplace problems when given a free choice.

For more information, please visit www.tsaunion.com.

AFGE is an affiliate of the AFL-CIO and is the largest federal employee union representing 625,000 workers in the federal government and the government of the District of Columbia, including tens of thousands of DHS employees in Border Patrol, Citizenship and Immigration Services, Coast Guard, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, FEMA, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Federal Protective Service, Office of Immigration Statistics and TSA.