Lashand Palmer helped two Officers in Philadelphia Fastening fasteners on Their union office at the beginning of this month, when she received an unexpected message.
“We had to slow down,” said Palmer, president of the Union, who represents the officers of the Transport Security Administration at the international airport in Philadelphia.
She learned from -Mail March 7 that the Internal Security Department had Demolished the employees of the TSA representation of unions and collective rights. Shortly afterwards, said Palmer, president of Local 333 AFGE, TSA informed the Union to return His equipment and leave his Office in PHL within a few days.
DHS suddenly ended the relationship agreement, which was ratified in May 2024 and expired in 2031, with an unprecedented decision.
Palmer said that it was a great question, noticing piles of confidential documents, banking applications and other significant documents in the office, which the Union occupied from October 2023. Palmer had to get U-Haul and transfer the contents of the Piwnic Bureau of the Union and cabins to the magazine before March 14.
In interviews, AFGE leaders and PHL employees, where 750 transport safety officers are members of the Union, said they were afraid of how this decision can change their work environment. They say that morale has fallen.
“I had crying officers,” said Palmer, who is also the main PHL officer. “Last tears. It is very harmful as a government agency that something like this can happen to government employees and deprive all our rights and hard work.”
The relationship is moving away. AFGE has submitted A lawsuit against the Trump administrationThe claim that removing trade union security is illegal.
TSA employees said they did not believe that removing the trade union team will affect travelers in PHL.
Christine Ottow, a spokeswoman for PHL, the airport has not seen influence and cannot speculate for the future.
TSA claims that “The new determination will eliminate the excessive influence of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), improve TSA operations, increase efficiency and efficiency and ensure that TSO can focus only on their basic mission to protect the transport system at the airport,” said TSA spokesman via e -mail.
TSA employees can continue to give fears or complaints, the spokesman noticed, adding that the processes have not changed.
Palmer says that although he is no longer able to represent its members, he plans to still facilitate employees who come to her with problems.
“I am involved in the fight,” she said.
“Real partnership” no more?
Congress created TSA after terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 to prevent similar attacks.
Today, travel travelers must interact with TSA, which has About 47,000 security officers throughout the country.
In PHL, the agency showed an average of about 33,400 people each day in June last year. From January to early March this year, six firearms were confiscated at PHL TSA control points. Last year, TSA employees 40 firearms prevented From security at the airport.
Taking the national team of officers, DHS wanted to remove “limitations of collective negotiations”, senior TSA official Adam Stahl wrote We -Mail on March 7 to the staff obtained by Inquirer.
Change He came towards the secretary of DHS Kristi NoemIN Stahl wrote, saying: “The decision is in accordance with [Trump] The vision of administration of maximization of government performance and efficiency and assurances that our workforce can quickly and effectively respond to evolving threats. “
Stahl wrote that the verdict was also informed about “ensuring the integration of employees and restoring the meritcation of labor.”
It was not clear if this movement was connected Department of Government, led by Elon Musk, President Donald Trump Billionaire advisor and the task of improving the government and reducing expenses
The DHS decision is ironic for Palmer who has been working in PHL for almost 23 years, and also represents the Wilmington airport. She said that she recently received the “partner award” from TSA for cooperation with management.
“I thought it was a real partnership, but simply, apparently, no earlier than the button was pressed to send E -Mail, everything was done,” said Palmer.
“Walking on egg shells”
39-year-old Devone Calloway has worked full-time for the Union for the last year, but the time the contract was repealed.
As a chief TSA safety official in PHL, Calloway provides velvety current belts and is observed over the staff at a safety control point.
He said he was shocked when they learned that TSA employees were losing their trade union representation when other federal employees did not. Now it seems that colleagues “walk on the shells” because they do not know what will happen next, he said.
“It hurts a lot and it still hurts today,” said Calloway.
Calloway is a military veteran and has been working at TSA at Philadelphia and Wilmington airports since 2022.
“This is one way of devotion,” said Calloway.
Losing the contract, employees lost the opportunity to call the infirmed for a period of up to three days without a doctor’s note, said Calloway, as well as protection against schedule changes.
In the US Congress. John Fetterman (D., Pa) AND Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., PA) They campsore the re -introduction of rights to the TSA working force Act, which would strengthen employees’ protection.
For his part, Calloway says that officers can still reach him if they have any problems.
“We’re still here for you,” he said. “We don’t give up.”
DHS: Some trade union procedures are “bureaucratic obstacles”
The leaders of the Union in PHL from Depository reminded how it worked at the airport at the beginning of 2000, before the administration of President Barack Obama Authorized agency employees to associate in 2011.
Management was lacking in responsibility. Changes and approval of PTO were inconsistent, the discipline was not marked, and the employees perceived favoring Promotions, said Palmer.
Maggie Sabatino, Local 333 executive vice president, said he was afraid of it Lack of trade union protection may force officers – many of whom have never served agencies without a contract – to leave, potentially creating a greater burden on work for people.
“They can go somewhere and earn the same amount and do not have to have all the things that have a negative impact[ing] Their work every day – said Sabatino.
DHS spokesman described certain conditions of the Union agreement as “bureaucratic obstacles”.
The spokesman said that employees “can now go straight to their supervisor without dealing with the third side” and that “penniless contractors will no longer disturb TSO to secure our transport systems and ensure the security of Americans.”
TSA spokesman also said at many airports, TSA employees spent more time on trade union work than screening functions. Tim Kauffman, a spokesman for AFGE, called this “deliberately misleading the claim.”
Kauffman said that out of 47,000 TSA 193 employees are devoted only to the performance of trade union duties.
Kelly Ashlee Johnson, 39 years old, transport safety officer at PHL and former head of Unia Steward, said she was “terrified” to learn the Union representation. Knowing that she could call the relationship in the past, she brought her a sense of peace, she said.
Johnson, a 14-year-old TSA employee who remembers the time before the Union team, says that the collective agreement “makes TSA click and cooperate with management and supervisors.”
“It was our Bible,” she said.
