Rights for the TSA Workforce Act
Congress Proposes Bill to Give TSA Workers Standard Federal Benefits and Stronger Union Rights
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- This bill would move Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees into the same personnel system used by most other federal workers. Currently, the TSA uses its own unique rules for hiring and pay. This change would give airport screeners and air marshals the same legal protections and benefits as employees at other government agencies.
- The policy grants TSA workers full collective bargaining rights, allowing them to join unions and negotiate over their working conditions more effectively. While it expands these rights, it explicitly maintains the law that prevents federal employees from going on strike, ensuring that airport security operations are not interrupted.
- To ensure a smooth transition, the bill guarantees that no TSA employee will see a pay cut when the new system starts. It also fixes specific pay issues for Federal Air Marshals, ensuring they receive proper overtime pay and retirement credit. The goal is to finish this move to the new system by the end of 2025.
- Supporters of the bill argue that the current system doesn't provide enough benefits or protections, which leads to low morale and high turnover. By improving job stability and workplace rights, the bill aims to keep experienced security officers on the job and make the nation's transportation systems safer.
- The bill requires several reports on how the TSA treats its staff. This includes looking at how the agency recruits veterans, how it handles workplace harassment, and whether its leadership is diverse. It also requires the agency to track and report on physical or verbal assaults against its employees by the public.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
Life & Work
The bill requires a GAO review of TSA's recruitment efforts specifically related to veterans, dependents of veterans, and military members. It also asks for recommendations to improve those recruitment pipelines. While this is a study rather than a direct benefit, it signals congressional interest in making TSA a better employer for veterans and could lead to improved hiring practices.
Disabilities
Milestones
Referred to the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
3 articles
Trump administration outlaws unions at TSA
The Homeland Security Department announced it is stripping the TSA workforce's right to collective bargaining, potentially undoing years of progress. The move follows Project 2025 recommendations and has prompted lawmakers to push for the Rights for the TSA Workforce Act to codify these rights.
Lawmakers Challenge TSA on Labor Rights as Agency Pushes Tech Overhaul
TSA leadership defended efforts to eliminate collective bargaining rights before the House Homeland Security Committee. Democrats criticized the move, arguing that the Rights for the TSA Workforce Act is necessary to ensure fair pay and workplace accountability for the screening workforce.
Federal Air Marshals Are Entitled to Overtime Pay
A federal judge ruled that air marshals are entitled to overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act. This legal battle highlights the pay issues that the Rights for the TSA Workforce Act seeks to resolve by moving the workforce into the standard federal personnel and pay system.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Rights for the TSA Workforce Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(164)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.