Just in time for the busy holiday travel season, Transportation Security Administration agents say they’re having a hard time getting into the spirit thanks to their contract negotiations with the agency. The front line workers are members of the American Federation of Government Employees and their contract with the TSA is up on Dec. 9. Union members staged a demonstration at LAX on Saturday to draw attention to their concerns. The union says TSA agents make far less money (about $40,000 a year) than other government workers.
Bobby Orozco, the local AFGE rep, told CBS News the agency is playing hardball in the negotiations when it should be loosening the purse strings to bring officers more in line with the working conditions and pay of other government employees, particularly in light of the recent increase in worldwide terror attacks. “We want to be treated like all other federal employees. We want to be able to have a secure workplace, so we can secure the public,” Orozco told the network. The TSA did not comment to CBS. More rallies are planned at other major airports as negotiations continue.
