This holiday season, around 18 million Americans are relying on the Transportation Security Administration for a safe flying experience.
However, many people might not realize that the TSA often gets sidetracked by union-related tasks, which can waste time and taxpayer funds instead of focusing on safety.
There’s some good news, though. The Trump administration plans to address this issue.
Beginning in January, over 47,000 TSA employees will no longer be tied to collective bargaining agreements, a framework that has significantly distracted the agency from its primary mission.
This month, the Department of Homeland Security informed that it was revoking the TSA’s collective bargaining arrangement, reverting to an earlier employment model.
Secretary Kristi Noem explained this decision in a memo from September, stating that collective bargaining is “incompatible with maintaining our agencies with the utmost agility necessary to protect our traveling public from constantly evolving threats.”
This was a widely recognized inconsistency when the TSA was established in the early 2000s.
A bipartisan congressional decision originally gave the agency the flexibility to operate without the constraints of collective bargaining, similar to military and other national security entities.
While President Barack Obama opened the door to partial unionization at TSA, collective bargaining remained limited.
However, President Joe Biden significantly expanded these negotiations, which, according to Noem’s documentation, is wasting taxpayer funds and impairing TSA’s effectiveness.
Think about it—TSA leadership dedicates a lot of time to collective bargaining rather than prioritizing public safety.
The limited bargaining process in 2016 alone took over 17,000 management hours.
Negotiating contracts costs hundreds of thousands of dollars every few years. In 2019, the TSA allocated nearly $400,000 on negotiators.
This arrangement also means that Americans are essentially paying TSA officers to focus on union work instead of safeguarding against potential threats.
In 2024, government agencies invested over $7.2 million on employees devoted exclusively to union issues. This is often referred to as “official time.”
Since 2012, the union has initiated 1,200 arbitration cases, costing taxpayers more than $850,000 in legal fees and associated services.
Some arbitration cases can stretch for over a year and tackle significant national issues. The latest one lasted 19 months, consuming about 7,000 hours of legal time and nearly a month of senior management’s attention.
The Secretary’s letter raised concerns voiced by TSA leaders, including experienced security directors who noted they had less time for security and administration because of arbitration matters.
Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security noted a nearly 25% rise in unscheduled absences following the implementation of the TSA collective bargaining agreement last year.
This increase in absences adversely affects TSA’s mission.
Major airports like those in Atlanta and Phoenix have struggled to maintain sufficient security staff. In Phoenix, an average of 10% of employees did not report to work last December.
Yet, when collective bargaining was indeed ineffective, absenteeism decreased by more than half.
Given these points, Noem noted that the provisions in the latest collective bargaining agreement “undermine mission readiness.”
It’s important to remember that TSA isn’t handling these issues alone.
A recent report noted that collective bargaining across various federal agencies often involves trivial matters, like the height of cubicle desk panels, smoking areas on non-smoking properties, and even dress codes in federal offices.
In the Department of Veterans Affairs, taxpayers fund unions occupying half of hospital buildings.
Last year, federal employees spent over 3.2 million hours working on union-related activities instead of their actual responsibilities. It’s a taxpayer-supported task that ideally should serve the public good.
So, Secretary Noem’s move to realign TSA’s focus toward security is indeed commendable.
When he announced an initial version of this policy in March, the union representing TSA workers managed to temporarily block it through a federal judge. They’ve already indicated intentions to pursue legal action again.
Yet, the Trump administration aims to do right by the American public.
People count on the government for their safety, and starting in January, the Transportation Security Administration is set to concentrate more on protecting families and the nation.
