That’s because Jackimowicz and the 40,000-45,000 other TSOs – otherwise known as airport screeners – nationwide will vote March 9 on whether they really will be represented by a union or not, thanks to an Obama administration decision.
“Before the American Federation of Government Employees came in, we had no attorneys, no legal counsel at our side” when TSOs came up for discipline or worse at the airport, he told Press Associates Union News Service. AFGE has some 12,000 of the TSOs as members even though it isn’t their legally elected representative.
“AFGE opened the representation up – and it’s made management more receptive and open to the possibility of resolving on-the-job issues” without conflict, Jackimowicz added. That’s why he and other screeners will campaign for AFGE.
The elation for Jackimowicz and fellow TSOs Vanessia Jones of New Orleans, Anna Aulet of San Juan, Cindy Jenson of Salt Lake City, Royda Del Valle of Newark and Valyria Lewis of Memphis came after the Obama administration’s Transportation Security Administration announced on Feb. 4 that the TSA workforce deserves partial collective bargaining rights.
The six screeners are all AFGE members and activists. The union has been in the forefront of labor’s lobbying for collective bargaining rights for the TSOs. All six look forward to the vote on who will bargain for them: AFGE, the National Treasury Employees Union, any other unions that petition their way onto the ballot, or no union.
Even so, TSA Administrator John Pistole declared certain topics would be off-limits to collective bargaining. Those primarily have to do with security standards, such as clearances, but also cover some money issues. And every TSO will be able to vote.
The exceptions didn’t faze AFGE President John Gage, who called the press conference to happily announce Pistole’s ruling.
“This has been a labor of love for our grass-roots, doing everything in our power to correct personnel policies” at the TSA while bettering the lives of the individual officers, he said.
“Whether you call it collective bargaining or not, we can go a long way towards removing the frustration among the TSOs and produce a healthy workforce and one that enhances the security of the flying public” when the union wins the vote, Gage added.
There are still two last steps before the vote. One is to determine which unions, besides AFGE, will be on the ballot. National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley vows hers will be one of them. It represents some other federal security and law-enforcement personnel.
The other step is to beat back a move by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., to ban unionization of the Transportation Security Officers altogether.
Mark Gruenberg writes for Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used by permission.
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That’s because Jackimowicz and the 40,000-45,000 other TSOs – otherwise known as airport screeners – nationwide will vote March 9 on whether they really will be represented by a union or not, thanks to an Obama administration decision.
“Before the American Federation of Government Employees came in, we had no attorneys, no legal counsel at our side” when TSOs came up for discipline or worse at the airport, he told Press Associates Union News Service. AFGE has some 12,000 of the TSOs as members even though it isn’t their legally elected representative.
“AFGE opened the representation up – and it’s made management more receptive and open to the possibility of resolving on-the-job issues” without conflict, Jackimowicz added. That’s why he and other screeners will campaign for AFGE.
The elation for Jackimowicz and fellow TSOs Vanessia Jones of New Orleans, Anna Aulet of San Juan, Cindy Jenson of Salt Lake City, Royda Del Valle of Newark and Valyria Lewis of Memphis came after the Obama administration’s Transportation Security Administration announced on Feb. 4 that the TSA workforce deserves partial collective bargaining rights.
The six screeners are all AFGE members and activists. The union has been in the forefront of labor’s lobbying for collective bargaining rights for the TSOs. All six look forward to the vote on who will bargain for them: AFGE, the National Treasury Employees Union, any other unions that petition their way onto the ballot, or no union.
Even so, TSA Administrator John Pistole declared certain topics would be off-limits to collective bargaining. Those primarily have to do with security standards, such as clearances, but also cover some money issues. And every TSO will be able to vote.
The exceptions didn’t faze AFGE President John Gage, who called the press conference to happily announce Pistole’s ruling.
“This has been a labor of love for our grass-roots, doing everything in our power to correct personnel policies” at the TSA while bettering the lives of the individual officers, he said.
“Whether you call it collective bargaining or not, we can go a long way towards removing the frustration among the TSOs and produce a healthy workforce and one that enhances the security of the flying public” when the union wins the vote, Gage added.
There are still two last steps before the vote. One is to determine which unions, besides AFGE, will be on the ballot. National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley vows hers will be one of them. It represents some other federal security and law-enforcement personnel.
The other step is to beat back a move by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., to ban unionization of the Transportation Security Officers altogether.
Mark Gruenberg writes for Press Associates, Inc., news service. Used by permission.