The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM Union) announced on March 22 that it is calling for the immediate payment of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers as U.S. airports face significant security delays. The IAM Union joined with the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Association of Professional Flight Attendants, and International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 135 to issue a joint statement addressing the ongoing partial government shutdown.
The unions said that TSA officers are not being paid during the shutdown, while other Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Patrol agents, and active duty members of the U.S. Coast Guard continue to receive their salaries. According to the statement, “Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers must be paid now.”
The statement criticized DHS for its allocation of discretionary funding during the shutdown: “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has billions of dollars in discretionary funding that could be used to pay TSOs during this partial shutdown, just like they have chosen to continue paying ICE and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents, as well as active duty members of the U.S. Coast Guard. Instead of paying TSOs, they have chosen to create havoc in our airports.” The unions also expressed concern over proposals to use ICE agents at airports instead of trained TSA officers.
They argued that TSA officers undergo extensive training specific to airport security risks—training which cannot be quickly replaced by ICE agents: “TSOs can’t simply be replaced. They undergo a six-month training program in which they learn to screen passengers while evaluating and managing risks within the unique context of an airport—especially how to identify disguised or disassembled weapons and explosives. This is expertise and training that ICE agents simply do not have, and cannot learn quickly.” The unions warned that introducing ICE into airports could distract from critical security tasks due to conflicting missions involving immigration enforcement.
As tensions rise internationally, particularly with reference made in their statement about increased threats due to conflict with Iran, union leaders stressed urgency: “There’s one solution that immediately solves the problem at our airports. Pay the people who are already trained to protect us from terror attacks today, especially as the war with Iran increases the desire to strike against Americans.” They concluded their appeal with a direct call: “Pay TSA Workers now.”
