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Unions: Collective bargaining trumps national security

Nov 28, 2006 In The News, Politics

Here’s a grand idea.

The American Federation of Government Employees, the country’s largest federal labor union, wants to force the TSA to allow their baggage screeners to join unions.

That way, when a security threat requires them to work overtime, or change their search parameters some way they don’t like (which is to say, in a way the union boss doesn’t like), they can walk off the job and strike.

This is an awesome idea.

Never mind that it’ll cause my next flight to result in either a) getting stranded with massive amounts of people in airports on a holiday weekend, or b) some jihadi nutjob with a bomb getting on my plane and blasting small pieces of me all over the nearest major metropolis.

I can’t believe anyone hasn’t thought of this already.

Oh, wait. Congress and the TSA did, when the agency was initially created, and killed the idea from the get-go. From the article:

In a statement, the TSA said Congress left it to the agency to decide whether to grant bargaining rights. The leeway to ban unions is contained in the 2001 Aviation Transportation Security Act, which created the agency after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

“Given the critical national security mission of our security officers, collective bargaining is not appropriate, and would reduce TSA’s ability to make changes rapidly in response to threats,” the TSA statement said.

Supposedly, AFGE members don’t have the power to strike, just collectively bargain. But how else do they enforce their position if the government doesn’t do what they want, or if they have to change the terms to meet a security threat?

Labor unions already care more about themselves and their positions of power than they do about their employees. Seems they’ve scratched national security off their list of priorities, too.

(Hat tip: BMEWS)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 28th, 2006 at 2:37 PM and is filed under In The News, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
  • Me? A sheep? LOL! Ask Pauley how much of a "follower" I am. Try again, bud.

    As for the rest of your arguement... two things. One: arguing on the internet is like competing in the Special Olympics. Even if you win... Two: I have better things to do. Like go to my job and be a "sheep".

    Good day, sir.
  • OK, to be fair, Ken's been on me to get comment previewing on my blog for many months now, which would have helped him catch some of the tpyos (pun intended). :-P

    I suppose I should clarify my statement -- I made the mistake of making a broad generalization. Not every union is evil. But I very much disapprove of a company being forced to recognize a union or only hire unionized employees. It should be perfectly within a corporation's right to decline to work with a union, for whatever reason they choose.

    -- Pauley
  • K4
    Yes, so I'm used to having a spell checker....i beileve that I made my point. Why attack my spelling/grammar and not my argument.

    I'm not saying you should pay your employeer back. I'm saying that people should have to pay a portion....the fact that more of it is being paid by employees is in may way going to push changes. When people's premiums are paid by the Company and they never need to pay much because it's the "big, bad insurance company" that has to pay they don't really realize that it's the health care costs that are out of control. I think that people being reuired to pay is in part a good thing....it's going to drive the health-care revolution that needs to happen in the next 10 years....i think that unions have prevented this from happening 10-15 years ago and have by and large HURT thequality of health care for all american thought their over-zelous and short-sighted "protection" of their members.

    You also chose to ignore the rest of my argument.....then agin I suppose like any good sheep as long as you get someone else to pay you are willing to accept it blindly now matter how sub-standard it is........
  • Seems like spelling and grammar are inappropriate as well.

    And tell you what, since I'm such a good responsible citizen, let me start paying my employer back for the benefits they give to me for free, because I feel bad that others have to pay out of pocket for it. I think not.



    Thank you, drive through.
  • K4
    I agree with Pauley. I live in CA where the teachers union and the prison guards union have more power then an other org in the state (including the govenment). It's sick when they out spend on political ad all other groups by more then 10x and in many cases the people they "represent" dis-agree with them. They teachers and prison guards have no option to opt-out of the union and often times pay dues of over $350 a month that support these campaigns. When the garbage collectors were on strike it was a union organized strike, any garbage collector NOT striking was exhiled from the union, and therefor fired as thy can only hire union members. I was reaing about 1 garbage collector who showed up for work and has now found that he is in-elegiable for many jobs (garbage collector, truck drive, and many skilled labor jobs) because they UNIONS have black-listed him. Seem like Unions have in many ways out-lived there usefulness. I will also point out that so few people have 100% company paid benifits any more that I would argue that that i inappropreate and a good argument AGAINST unions in my point of view. You should be responsible for a portion of your health care just like the other 80% of americans.
  • "Labor unions already care more about themselves and their positions of power than they do about their employees. Seems they’ve scratched national security off their list of priorities, too."

    Speaking as a union member (CWA Local 7500, to be precise), frankly, this is bullshit. The only reason I still have 100% company paid healthcare... and honestly, the reason I still have A JOB is because I have a union that stands up for me personally as well as the collective good of the employees. I get really tired of people slagging on unions and union workers.

    I really have no argument with the rest of this, that comment just really irked me. It's easy to criticize something you've never experienced firsthand. Believe me, I did my share before being a union worker. I'm damn glad I have a collective to back me up when I'm being wronged or fighting for my rights as an employee.
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