Rights for the TSA Workforce Act

Key Points

• This bill would move all TSA employees — including airport screeners, air marshals, and inspectors — from the agency's unique personnel system into the standard federal workforce system under Title 5 of the U.S. Code. This gives them the same workplace rules as most other federal workers.
• TSA screening agents would gain full collective bargaining rights within 90 days of enactment, including the ability to form unions and negotiate working conditions under the same federal labor relations law that covers other government employees.
• No TSA worker would see a pay cut during the transition. Employees would be credited for their years of service under the old pay system as if they had served in an equivalent General Schedule position, which could mean higher pay for many.
• The bill requires multiple reviews by the Government Accountability Office covering recruitment (especially of veterans), workplace harassment and assault, promotion equity, and leadership diversity within TSA.
• The Administrator is required to work with organizations representing Federal Air Marshals to address mental health, suicide rates, morale, equipment, training, and work schedules — recognizing the unique stresses of that job.
• Despite expanding union and workplace rights, the bill explicitly preserves the ban on TSA employees going on strike, ensuring no disruption to airport security operations.