(44,000) Screeners For T.S.A. Select Union (The American Federation of Government Employees)

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-NY Times

WASHINGTON (AP) — Airport screeners around the county have chosen the nation’s largest federal employee union to represent them in collective bargaining talks with the government, federal officials announced Thursday.

The American Federation of Government Employees won a close runoff vote to represent about 44,000 employees at the Transportation Security Administration in the largest union election for federal workers in history.

Federal officials tallying the votes say A.F.G.E. received 8,903 votes, or 51 percent, while National Treasury Employees Union got 8,447 votes, or 49 percent. The runoff was held after neither union received more than 50 percent of votes in the first election earlier this year.

The vote came after John S. Pistole, who heads the T.S.A., agreed in February to grant screeners limited collective bargaining rights for the first time. The screeners, who inspect bags and guide passengers through security, had been among the few federal workers without union rights.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/24/business/24labor.html

[Wickerman]

1. Interesting that this is being unrecc'ed but without comment. n/t

[customerserviceguy]

5. Well, most of us despise the job that the screeners do

They harass millions of innocent Americans, and they haven't caught a single terrorist.

[Wickerman]

6. I hate the job too, but I support unions. I am a Democrat

If one recalls, Bush rammed these people down our throat with the dismissal of previous union held positions in some cities. Thew irony is supreme that these folks now come back and choose union as most of the country is moving away from unions. (sadly)

[customerserviceguy]

7. If child molesters unionized

would you blindly support them? Just because someone is union doesn't make their job morally, economically, or practically defensible. Screeners are completely ineffective at preventing the next 9/11, locking the door to the cockpit has done more to safeguard us than somebody feeling up your grandma.

[Wickerman]

10. Brilliant, simply brilliant. Perhaps you should have used Nazi's instead of Child Molesters

The leap was just about as large and as effective.

The screeners are here. They aren't going away; perhaps under union control and democratic leadership they can morph into a more meaningful and useful service. Unions can set a better standard of what security can be.

But thanks for your poutrageous attack on me. Feel better?

Next time, make the leap all the way to Hitler, it's so much more effective at creating an honest debate :eyes:

[customerserviceguy]

11. Good point

Yeah, I guess I do compare TSA agents to both child molesters and Nazis.

How would unionization make them any less intrusive, and any more 'effective', if that's even possible? The terrorists slip underwear bombers in through poorly screened foreign airports, they don't even bother with US airports any more. Since NO ONE is ever going to get into a cockpit during a flight, you cannot possibly fly a plane into a target anymore.

Yet, we continue to harass, embarass, and inconvenience the American public with security theatre. I guess I don't know of any bad situations where unionization automatically makes them good.

As for them going away, I look forward to the day when we're past the current hysteria, and they will indeed go away.

[SoapBox]

2. Hilarious!

...GOBPers, RushThug, ConservaTurd and T.HATEbagger heads are IMPLODING!

Time to bring in Hosni Walker from WI!

*snark*

[ProSense]

3. Trumka's

statement here

Evidently, this isn't good news.

[ixion]

4. It would be comical if it weren't so tragic

a group that is working to destroy our democratic republic wants to utilize its constructs. I'm sorry, I can't applaud this.

[Dawson Leery]

8. Niether can I applaud this.

:-(

[w0nderer]

9. it'd be fun if all the people that have been busting unions were to go after these unions n/t

[John Paul Jones]

12. 44,000...! Geez...