Senate Rejects Move to Bar TSA Workers from Bargaining Rights
|
|
||||
|
||||
Good news from the Senate: Today, senators voted 51-47 to reject a measure that would have prohibited transportation security officers (TSOs) from gaining collective bargaining rights.
The measure was introduced by Sens. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) as an amendment to the 2011 FAA authorization bill after TSA administrator John Pistole affirmed the TSOs’ rights to bargain earlier this month.
AFGE President John Gage praised the Senate for recognizing the value of collective bargaining.
AFGE thanks the members of the Senate who said “no” to this irresponsible amendment. Workplace rights improve employee morale, which will improve security, not undermine it. In fact, collective bargaining brings with it improved security for passengers. A bargaining agreement would lead to better working conditions, fair promotion and evaluation practices and safer workplaces, and in doing so, increasing morale.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who voted against denying TSOs the freedom to bargain, pointed out that “most federal security employees, including Border Patrol agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, Capitol Police officers and Federal Protective Service officers, have collective bargaining rights. First responders on Sept. 11, who not only risked their lives but gave their lives, were union members.
Beware of the Big Lie Bill
 |
|
Opponents of the Employee Free Choice Act in Congress made their Big Lie into a bill Wednesday, when Republican Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.) and Mike Enzi (Wyo.) introduced the so-called Secret Ballot Protection Act.
Before we go further, let’s clear up the bill’s false implication right now:
The Employee Free Choice Act would not—repeat after me—would not, take away the secret ballot National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election process if workers seeking to form a union wanted to use it. The Employee Free Choice would ensure workers made the decision of whether to select a union via majority sign-up (card-check) or via ballot process. Choice is good. That’s one reason why we called it Employee Free Choice—because it would enable employees, not management, to make the decision of how to form a union.
The alleged goal of S. 478 is to:
amend the National Labor Relations Act to ensure the right of employees to a secret-ballot election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board.
