http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/politics/house-votes-to-cut-tsas-budget- by-270million/2011/06/02/AGXmnaHH_story.html?nl_headlines
House votes to cut TSA's budget by $270 million * By Joe Davidson <http://www.washingtonpost.com/joe-davidson/2011/03/02/ABXUQ7M_page.html> , Published: June 2 | Updated: Friday, June 3, 12:29 AM The Republican-controlled House approved legislation Thursday that would cut funding for transportation security officers, the men and women on the front line of aviation safety. The 219 to 204 vote approved cutting the Transportation Security Administration's budget by $270 million, according to Democrats and union leaders. "At a time when intelligence tells us that terrorists remain interested in attacking transportation, this amendment would cut TSA's screening workforce by more than 10 percent," about 5,000 people, said Kristin Lee, an agency spokeswoman. In a letter to House members before the vote on Rep. John L. Mica's (R-Fla.) amendment, Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said the budget cut would "damage the traveling safety of the public and hurt Transportation Security Officers' ability to do their jobs." Even as TSOs are in the midst of voting for a union to represent them, the House also voted 218 to 205 to prevent TSA from collective bargaining with its workers. Both measures were contained in a $42.3 billion homeland security budget bill for fiscal year 2012, which the House passed 231 to 188. Union leaders hope that the Senate, which labor-friendly Democrats control, will reject the two amendments. In February, TSA Administrator John Pistole said he would allow <http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/2011/11_0204_fact_sheet_on_collective_b argaining.shtm> strictly limited collective bargaining for about 44,000 officers, who screen passengers and baggage at the nation's airports. Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.), <http://rokita.house.gov/press-release/rokita-offers-amendment-prevent-tsa-c ollective-bargaining> who offered the labor amendment, said: "Collective-bargaining agreements would hamper the critical nature of TSA agents' national security responsibilities. TSA agents are no different than FBI, CIA and Secret Service agents; we do not negotiate collective-bargaining agreements with security personnel, and TSA clearly falls within that category." Negotiating collective-bargaining agreements, however, would clearly place TSA in the category of other federal security agencies, as three House Democrats said in urging colleagues to vote against the Rokita amendment. "In fact, other officers at the Department of Homeland Security, including those at Customs and Border Protection and the Federal Protective Service, already have collective-bargaining rights, which have had no negative impact on job performance or security," Reps. Bennie G. Thompson (Miss.), Nita Lowey (N.Y.) and Sheila Jackson Lee (Tex.) wrote in a letter. TSA officers have until June 21 to cast a vote for either NTEU or the American Federation of Government Employees <http://www.afge.org> . An earlier vote ended with neither labor organization getting a majority of the votes cast. In a letter to House members, Beth Moten, AFGE's legislative director, said the Rokita amendment would have "a profound and detrimental impact on the work lives" of TSOs. When Pistole decided, after several months of study, to allow collective bargaining, he said, "Morale and employee engagement cannot be separated from achieving superior security." He barred bargaining over security policies, compensation, discipline standards, proficiency testing and job qualifications. Bargaining would be allowed over shift bids, transfers and awards. "We will not negotiate over security," Pistole said [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [email protected]. -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [email protected] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [email protected] Unsubscribe: [email protected] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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