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Long lines at airport security checkpoints have slowed travelers and made news across the nation. On Tuesday, June 14, airport workers will lead a rally at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport calling for action to address this growing problem.
The rally will take place at noon, June 14, at the south end of upper roadway (where passengers are dropped off) at Terminal 1. It is organizing by the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents Transportation Security Administration officers.
Speakers will include Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy and leaders of AFGE Local 899, which represents some 300 TSOs at MSP and smaller airports across Minnesota and North and South Dakota.
“The rally will call attention to the dire need for Congress to approve emergency funding for an additional 6,000 full time TSOs to alleviate extreme lines and delays at airport security checkpoints while maintaining a professional workforce that keeps Americans safe,” AFGE said in announcing the event.
“Earlier this spring, MSP was in the headlines for its wait times. TSA Administrator, Peter Neffenger, visited MSP and promised to ship new recruits and open up overtime funding for TSOs, but these are short-term fixes to a long-term problem that will only grow worse without a significant increase in workforce.
“This is why AFGE has called on Congress to enact emergency legislation to enable TSA to hire 6,000 additional full time TSA Officers, restoring staffing levels to what they were in 2011. Since that time the volume of passengers has risen 15 percent from 643 million to 740 million, and is projected to exceed 800 million this year, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.”
The union points out that privatization of security services “is not the answer,” adding, “Replacing federally trained screeners with unaccountable, untrained screeners who work for profit-hungry contractors won’t make the wait times any shorter—but it will make flying less safe. Despite the lower staffing levels, TSA officers are doing an excellent job of ensuring the safety and security of the flying public.”