Jaunted

First - annual and sick leave accumulation for federal employees is codified in public law, not collective bargaining agreements. Second - many federal employees critical to national security are already unionized, i.e., Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which are ALSO under the Dept of Homeland Security just like TSA. Also, chances are that wherever you are reading this, your state and municipal law enforcement and fire protection jurisdictions' members are card-carrying union members. All of this is done without compromising national security or community safety. Fact: TSA hired MANY managers in the aftermath of 9/11 from outside the federal government and are NOT aware of federal employee protections from abusive practices,i.e., manadatory split shifts, no-notice mandatory overtime, as well as many other abuses and preferential practices of many managers. Fact: MANY mid-level managers are not well-educated on the meaning and implications of TSA's status as an "excepted service". Many mid-level managers are under the mistaken presumption that as an "excepted service", TSA can make any rules it pleases and be as abusive in the treatment of its employees as it cares to be, without repercussion. This is NOT what "excepted service" means. As with other critical personnel, any collective bargaining agreement can be crafted to prohibit strike action and limit or eliminate collective bargaining in wages. Seriously - do you feel safer when abused and demoralized screeners are responsible for detecting weapons, firearms, explosives, and incendiaries in our nation's airports?