APWU Rallies in Support of TSO Rights
February 24, 2010
APWU officers and staff joined hundreds of other union members and labor activists at a rally Feb. 23 in support of collective bargaining rights for the 40,000 Transportation Security Officers who work in the nation’s airports.
“The threat that air travelers face is from terrorists, not labor unions," Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) told participants.
Leaders from the AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the Association of Flight Attendants, and other unions joined Lowey and Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) outside the AFL-CIO Headquarters in Washington DC to spread the message, “It’s Union Time!”
TSOs have been denied union rights since the establishment of the Transportation Security Administration in 2001, because the administration of George W. Bush asserted that unionization of TSOs would “jeopardize national security.”
On Feb. 22, AFGE filed a petition with the Federal Labor Relations Authority for an election to allow the TSOs to vote on representation. The union urged support for the
Transportation Security Workforce Act (H.R. 1881), which would enable TSOs to unionize.
AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt-Baker and Secretary-Treasurer Liz Schuler energized the crowd by urging them to make themselves heard a block away at the White House.
Not only was this a demonstration for the collective bargaining rights of the TSOs, it was a call for all employees to enjoy the workplace rights they deserve.
“TSOs deserve to be treated equally in the workplace and to have the chance for a better life,” said Schuler over the applause of the crowd. “Victory is within our reach!”