Backpay Provides Relief For TSA Agents At U.S. Airports

The wait time for travel has been a complete nightmare at many airports around the country in the last few weeks. Minneapolis/St Paul airports didn't report extreme wait times like at some other airports, but there was still a lag from what is the norm.

THE LAST FEW WEEKS HAVE BEEN HARD FOR TRAVELERS

The reason was with the partial government shut down, TSA agents were not all showing up for work, as they were having to find some other temporary jobs to live on while they were not getting paid as TSA. Most of the TSA were showing up to work here in Minnesota, which is very admirable, but not the case elsewhere.

SOME TSA WERE ABLE TO COME BACK TO WORK AFTER SOME BACKPAY

Now, the government has issued some backpay to TSA so that they can get back to work and get the lines moving again. What used to be a three to four hour wait has now moved to about 10 minutes. That is really significant. That was in Houston.

From KARE 11:

The wait times were not as crazy here in Minnesota - but there was still more wait times than had been prior to the shut down.

TSA workers told union leadership Monday that they received some — but not all — of their back pay, according to Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the TSA union. He said the rest, from a partial paycheck at the start of the shutdown, is expected by next week. The TSA chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees also raised concerns that some employees reported incorrect backpay amounts, including missing overtime and improper tax withholdings.

Apparently those people who either didn't want to, or couldn't show up for their TSA job without pay may be facing disciplinary action.

WILL TSA RECEIVE SOME DISCIPLINARY ACTION FOR NOT SHOWING UP

I understand that it's your job, and the show, so to speak, must go on, but if people cannot work without pay shouldn't have to be disciplined when they are not getting paid at their regular job, and now have to seek some temporary alternative employment in order to make ends meet. And we all know how frustrating travel can be when everything is going well, and when you add another glitch like this - it can be almost unbearable to the traveler. What is the answer?

“Working without pay forced more than 500 officers to leave TSA and thousands were forced to call out,” acting TSA Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in announcing the delayed payday. The union agreed with these numbers, but said those who could not afford to report for duty now “have disciplinary actions looming over their heads.”

After the last shutdown, there was talk about moving the TSA into another catagory where they would continue to be paid even if there is another government shut down. That obviously didn't happen, at least not yet, but those talks need to continue. The amount of travel doesn't stop just because the TSA/governement is having an issue. Life continues on, and this obviously needs a new direction.

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