Schatz, Thompson Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Protect, Improve TSA’s Frontline Workforce Amid Trump Attacks
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) and U.S. Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) recently reintroduced bicameral legislation to ensure that all of the more than 65,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees – including frontline Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) – are afforded the same worker rights, protections, and pay system afforded to most other federal workers. The legislation comes on the heels of the Trump administration’s move last week to cancel TSA workers’ current collective bargaining agreement.
“Anyone who’s been to an airport knows that TSA officers play a critical role in keeping millions of people safe every single day. They deserve the same worker rights and protections as any other federal employee. Instead, this administration is undermining their rights, which will mean fewer officers, longer airport screening lines, and a greater threat to public safety and national security,” said Senator Schatz. “Our bill would end this unfair system and grant them the rights and benefits they have earned.”
The Rights for the TSA Workforce Act would provide TSA employees full federal employee collective bargaining rights, access to an independent third party for dispute resolution, and compensation under the General Services wage system.
“TSA’s Federal workforce helps keep our aviation system secure from terrorism every day. Their pay, workforce protections, and benefits should reflect the importance of their national security work,” said Representative Thompson. “But under current law, they are not provided the workforce rights guaranteed to almost all other Federal employees – and, in fact, the Trump Administration is currently trying to take away the few protections they have. Putting this critical workforce under Title 5 will guarantee fair pay and full collective bargaining rights, reduce attrition, and stop the Trump Administration’s political antics. I hope the courts will act to restore TSA’s existing collective bargaining agreement, which both parties entered into under full legal authority – but in the meantime, Congress should pass this bill to provide permanence to these workers’ rights. I am glad we have bipartisan support for this bill, and I hope Congress acts to support this frontline workforce that keeps us all safe when we return to our districts.”
In addition to Schatz, the legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Angus King (I-Maine), Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.).
“The Transportation Security Administration is in crisis. DHS’s reckless decision to rescind TSA workers' collective bargaining agreement is blatant union-busting. If allowed to stand, it will silence 47,000 frontline officers who protect millions daily, clearing a path for Project 2025’s dangerous privatization scheme, prioritizing profits over national security and reviving the failed, profit-driven model from before the terrorist attacks of September 11. The Rights for the TSA Workforce Act, introduced by Representative Bennie Thompson and Senator Brian Schatz, is essential to restoring dignity, protecting workers’ rights, and ensuring aviation security isn’t outsourced to the lowest bidder. Congress must pass this bill immediately,” said Everett Kelley, National President of American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE).
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