AFGE TSA: On your side from the beginning

We must make parking more available and subsidized heavily. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Free or subsidized parking
• Provide parking transportation that covers all shifts
• No waivers signed for liability

AFGE is concerned about the working conditions of the TSO's. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Temperature in the work areas
• Sun glares
• Magnifying glass at checkpoint area for checking ID's
• Elimination of dust and mold from screening areas
• Placement of mats on the screening floor
• Ensure that assigned duties are rotated every 30 minutes
• TSA failing to respond to a Report of Unsafe or Unhealthful Working Condition (TSA Form 2400)
• TSA failing to respond to a health and safety concern to the raised Safety Action Team2
• Failure of OHSA to investigate a complaint
• Retaliation by management for filing a health and safety complaint
• TSA delaying the processing of workers' compensation claims
• TSA controverting workers' compensation claims
• Lacking of training regarding workers' compensation
• Department of Labor taking months to make a determination on a claim for workers' compensation
• Protection against radiation by:
  • (a) permitting employees to wear dosimeters,
  • (b) annual inspections of all x-ray machines, and
  • (c) annual cancer screenings

AFGE is concerned about the uniform requirements of the TSO's. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Permission to wear TSA jackets, shorts, sunglasses, and certain brands of shoes based on employee's preference
• Permission to wear all current TSA garments, including jumpsuits, in public areas of the airports.
• Improve the quality of the uniforms
• Increase the uniform allowance
• Permit a greater diversity of personal appearance, e.g. long hair, long fingernails, earrings, etc.)

AFGE is concerned about where TSO's can store personal items and the amount of space provided for such items. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Ability to keep coats and handbags at checkpoint or baggage area
• Adequate storage room in the break rooms
• Beverages allowed at checkpoint area

AFGE believes that the ability to transfer should be available to all TSO's with a consistent policy to effectuate the process. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Permit transfer from one airport to another in the same region for any reason
• Permit transfer from one airport to another in a different region for any reason
• Limit restrictions on transfers3

AFGE is concerned about the fairness in scheduling and ways it can be improved. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Modify or eliminate the split shift
• Shifts should not be the same as supervisors thereby eliminating supervisors determining TSO's shifts
• Scheduling should be done at the same airport instead of done by someone from another airport
• Implement annual bid policy, so you do not have to bid every six months
• Mini-bids for shifts
• Permit shift trades for any reason

AFGE is concerned about the use of leave and possible repercussions for exercising leave. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Eliminate the policy that use of leave is abuse of leave
• Hire more employees, so more leave will be approved
• Eliminate restrictions on taking leave
• Grant Family Medical Leave Act Leave freely
• Require medical documentation only when an employee misses 3 consecutive days

AFGE believes that breaks play an important role in the optimum performance of the TSOs; therefore, it is important that a break policy exists that would achieve that goal. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Guarantee breaks every two hours
• Eliminate problems with scheduling breaks
• Provide break rooms close enough to work areas to use during break time
• Permit employees to work a flexible or compressed schedule
• Ensure employees are compensated for preparatory and concluding activity

AFGE believes that part-timers play a valuable role in protecting our country at the airport. As such, a unified practice should be in place. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Eliminate the restrictions on the amount of overtime allowed for part-timers
• Improve the lack of flexibility in scheduling part-timers
• Implement schedules related to peak times
• Not giving enough duty time to study Standard Operating Procedures
• Eliminate the arbitrary restrictions on the number of full-time staff thereby denying part-timers a chance for a full-time position

AFGE believes that the workplace should be free of discriminatory practices. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Promotions based on qualifications and not favoritism, race color, sex, national origin, age, religion, or disability
• Discipline based on performance and conduct and not race, color, sex, national origin, age, religion, or disability
• Elimination of sexual harassment in the workplace

AFGE believes that you should be rewarded for your time on the job and the effort you put in while protecting the nation's airports. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Develop a fair system for determining seniority
• Maintain seniority if you transfer to another position (e.g., TSO to BDO)
• Prevent the loss of seniority if you go from part-time to full-time
• Prevent the loss of seniority if you transfer airports

AFGE is concerned about childcare facilities. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Improve lack of childcare facilities
• If facilities are provided, they need to be reasonably priced
• Create a nursing mothers' area

AFGE is concerned about how the agency implements furloughs and reductions in force. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Require the agency to notify employees 90 days prior to a furlough or reduction in force
• Permit employees to appeal furloughs and reductions in force to a neutral, third party
• Establish a procedure to ensure that employees reduced in force will be hired first to fill any vacancies

AFGE believes that assignments should be allocated fairly and consistently among the entire workforce. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Ensure that all employees are permitted to perform collateral duties
• Employees temporarily assigned to act as a LTSO or STSO should receive LTSO or STSO pay
• Ensure that all employees desiring to work overtime are permitted to work overtime
• Allow employees to volunteer for mandatory overtime

AFGE understands that the opportunity to train is important to your continued success at TSA. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Ensure that all employees are given an equal amount of time to receive training
• Guarantee that all employees receive a minimum of an hour a week to train
• Permit employees to attend off-site training to improve their performance

AFGE recognizes the importance of promotions for your professional development, economic needs, and personal satisfaction. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Permit all employees to apply for promotions
• Mandate that all promotions are based on qualifications of the applicants
• Forbid the agency from disqualifying a candidate from a promotion because of a letter of counseling, letter of reprimand, or leave restriction

AFGE is alarmed by the manner TSA issues discipline. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Have a neutral, independent third party review disciplinary actions
• Limit the length of time a disciplinary action remains in your Official Personnel File (OPF)
• Require management to impose discipline within a month or be banned from issuing the discipline
• Require management to adhere to a table of penalties when issuing discipline
• Prior to proposing any discipline, the employee will be afforded an opportunity to inspect her/his OPF
• Lack of a fair hearing during a Peer Review Panel because the facilitator controlled the proceedings
• Lack of a fair hearing during a Peer Review Panel because you were not permitted to remain in the hearing room
• Lack of a fair hearing during the Disciplinary Review Board process because the DRB is composed of upper level managers and attorneys from the Office of Chief Counsel

AFGE knows that TSA has created a workers' compensation system that discourages employees from filing workers' compensation claims. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Require the agency to post a notice regarding the right and procedure to file a workers' compensation claim
• Require TSA to provide the required forms to permit an employee to file for workers' compensation
• Limit the amount of medical information the employee has to disclose to TSA
• Require the agency to provide workers' compensation training to all employees

AFGE is concerned about the information that TSA places in your personnel files. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

AFGE knows that TSA has created a workplace that has permitted workplace violence to be committed against TSOs by co-workers and passengers. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Require the agency to contact the police and file charges against any TSO who is assaulted by a passenger
• Require TSA to separate employees from working together if allegations of workplace violence arise
• Require TSA to post warnings that assaulting an employee of TSA is a crime

AFGE knows that TSA frequently conducts investigations and does not permit you to have a witness, union representative, or attorney during these investigations. Some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Allow a union representative to be present during any investigation that may result in discipline
• Require managers to affirmatively notify employees of their right to a union representative during investigations
• Notify employees whether the investigation is voluntary or involuntary
• Permit a witness to be present during all investigations

AFGE is fighting to get rid of this system. In the short-term, until PASS is eliminated, some potential items we may be able to negotiate in the contract are the following:

• Clear criteria
• Full disclosure of errors made by TSOs in taking tests
• Ability to refute test results and have witnesses other than managers
• No testing on new procedures until provided the opportunity to learn and incorporate them into your work
• Updated testing machines
• Extra prep time for test of skills that TSO's don't normally use Training
• EEO validation
• Tested by observation at the work site
• Test failure does not result in firing
• Elimination of subjective elements of PASS
• Everyone who is certified gets a pay increase
• Independent evaluation of the system in order for it to correspond with you actual job responsibilities.

1. • Test is unfair
   • Please explain how it is unfair
   • Never informed of the reason for receiving a low test score
   • Not permitted to have a represent present during testing
   • Not permitted to have a witness present during testing
   • Not provided adequate training in preparation for the test
   • Testing environmental conditions are not conducive to taking a test
   • Other
   • Other
   • Other