Johnny Jones, Secretary-Treasurer for the American Federation of Government Employees Transportation Security Administration Council 100, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the gains from their recent Collective Bargaining Agreement. Jones also discussed the largest pay-raise in government employee history and a reminder about potential summer travel delays.
The recently ratified CBA for TSA officers has created a new level of accessibility to union representation for the 22,000 dues paying members of TSA Council 100. The agreement increased the number of union representatives from 12 to 193 agents, with dedicated time for union work. Along with the dedicated time, each of the union representatives will receive a dedicated work space in their home airports for the first time. These changes are a major improvement for the TSA officers, however that’s not all they received.
Along with the new level of access to union representatives, the CBA also gives officers the largest pay raise among government employees. After the funding for officers was approved in quarter four of 2022, they will be receiving their 30 percent pay increase this summer. After years of high turnover rates due to low wages, the pay increase should cause a decrease in turnover as well as more officers turning the job into a career, Jones said.
During the busy summer months following these major changes for the TSA, there are bound to be delays in the travel experience, Jones said. Some of these delays might be caused by the change in scheduling for officers and some for training new officers. Despite the delays, travelers should remember that officers are doing their best to provide a safe travel experience, he said.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more.