Less than one month after a Congressional homeland security subcommittee hearing in which U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-08) admonished the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) for failing to implement necessary whistleblower protections for airport screeners, the TSA returned to Capitol Hill to answer Congressional concerns over allegations that a senior official warned airport security directors across the nation of an ongoing covert security test.  

“When it was alleged that a rank and file airport screener at Newark Liberty International Airport leaked information regarding poor security test results last year, a full fledged federal investigation and even an interrogation immediately ensued.  But today the TSA is in a position where a senior security officer has seemingly been found to have leaked news of an ongoing covert test, and all we heard from the TSA was a series of contrived denials.  There is an alarming double standard at TSA that is a direct result of the poor working conditions for screeners.  Improving worker rights for airport screeners should be a national security priority, which is the way I will continue to treat this subject.”  
   
“I was encouraged by Mr. Hawley’s stated desire to protect whistleblowers and move to formally adopt the principles provided under the Merit System Protection Board.  The adoption of real worker protections would mark a giant step forward for airport screeners and a vast improvement in America’s aviation security infrastructure.  I will continue to work closely with Mr. Hawley to ensure the expedient adoption of the formal MSPB process for all federal airport screener.”

The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) serves as an independent, bipartisan guardian of the merit systems under which Federal employees work. Merit-based civil service rules are essential to ensuring that Federal civil servants are well qualified to perform their jobs and are able to serve the public free from management abuse and partisan political pressure.

After questioning Mr. Hawley on the origin of an April 2006 e-mail that tipped-off airport security directors to ongoing covert screening, Rep. Pascrell suggested the creation of a larger, better trained and more experienced national airport screening corps.  Pascrell concluded by questioning the deprivation of collective bargaining rights for screeners and any potential move towards a private security force.

“There is no question that America needs a larger, better trained, and more experienced corps of airport screeners.  I acknowledge the progress that Mr. Hawley says we’ve made in recent years to pick up airport security staff morale, but we have still not come far enough.  The further this Congress advances collective bargaining rights for our screeners, the further we move away from a privatized force of rent-a-cop style security at our airports,” Pascrell concluded.  

 

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