TSA Shenanigans

Two weeks ago, or so, the TSA made a curious announcement that puzzled a lot of people. They announced that they were not allowing any more airports to join a program that allowed them to use private screeners instead of TSA employees.
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-01-29/travel/tsa.private_1_tsa-government-screeners-screening-program?_s=PM:TRAVEL

A program that allows airports to replace government screeners with private screeners is being brought to a standstill, just a month after the Transportation Security Administration said it was "neutral" on the program.

TSA chief John Pistole said Friday he has decided not to expand the program beyond the current 16 airports, saying he does not see any advantage to it.

Though little known, the Screening Partnership Program allowed airports to replace government screeners with private contractors who wear TSA-like uniforms, meet TSA standards and work under TSA oversight. Among the airports that have "opted out" of government screening are San Francisco and Kansas City.

At the time, nobody could figure out WHY the program was being canceled. According to the Cato Institute, most of the useful and effective security innovations we've seen have come out of that program, so expanding it seems like a decent idea. As to security, a review of airports showed those with private security were more secure than those using TSA screeners.

However, NOW we know why they canceled the program.


You see, late last week the head of the TSA announced that he was giving limited bargaining rights to TSA screeners. That's right, TSA screeners will be allowed to unionize.
http://blogs.ajc.com/jamie-dupree-washington-insider/2011/02/04/tsa-okays-limited-collective-bargaining/

Based on this review and after much consideration, I have issued a Determination today, using my authority under the law that created TSA, to enable our TSO workforce to vote on whether or not they want to engage in collective bargaining under a unique framework that includes bargaining on limited, non-security issues relating to employment.

With all the problems we're having with the TSA, don't you just KNOW that unionizing the workers will make things just a whole heap better?

Unionized employees are LESS responsive to public outcry and opposition... They're protected. And the folks at TSA knew that if they unionized the screeners, airports across the country would want to join that little program and privatize their screeners. Dealing with a private security company is FAR preferable to dealing with a government union.

Does anybody out there think that unionizing TSA screeners will make air travel safer? Does anybody think it will make moving through airport security checkpoints easier and more pleasant?

Yeah, me neither.