this post was submitted on 07 Mar 2025
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/26471893

Summary

Trump is revoking collective bargaining rights at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), ending union protections for thousands of airport security officers.

The Department of Homeland Security claims the move will improve efficiency and security, but unions argue it is a retaliatory attack on federal workers.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) plans to challenge the decision. TSA workers fear the rollback will worsen working conditions and retention.

The policy reverses union rights granted under Obama and expanded by Biden.

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[–] Bigfish@lemmynsfw.com 4 points 17 hours ago

Y'all missing the point. Fuck cops sure. But an attack on one union is an attack on unions. Push to abolish the TSA AND support their collective rights.

[–] RangerJosey@lemmy.ml 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

TSA is part of the whole post 9/11 patriot act authoritarian push. It needs to end. It was a pointless unnecessary overreaction then, and it remains so.

TSA are cops. And cops aren't workers. They're class traitors. The enforcement arm of capital.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 0 points 18 hours ago

But that's the spin. Trump didn't try to break the TSA union.

Trump is trying to break a cop union.

[–] surph_ninja@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago

ACAB includes TSA. Fuck them.

Abolish the TSA.

[–] GraniteM@lemmy.world 48 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Boss: I've decided to pay you shit wages and expect you to work nightmare hours.

Union: We've all banded together and would collectively like to tell you that we prefer better wages and more reasonable hours, or else we will strike.

Boss: I've decided you can't do that, or else.

Union: Yes, or else, indeed. That's the core concept here.

Call his fuckin' bluff, or else you don't really have a union at all.

[–] MajorHavoc@programming.dev 9 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I would love to hear about the day TSA simply didn't show up. Make this happen, folks.

All their options to deal with it are embarrassing for the stooges in charge.

[–] expr@programming.dev 5 points 1 day ago

Just sounds like a win-win. The fascists no longer have their travel cops, and people no longer have to deal with the useless bullshit of the TSA.

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Ronald Reagan did exactly that with air traffic controllers. Fired the lot of them.

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 60 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Does the president actually have the power to union-bust, or is he just continuing to do what he wants...? I realize it's largely an academic question, since no one will resist this guy's illegal actions...

[–] DontTreadOnBigfoot@lemmy.world 31 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

The implication of the summary text is that the protections were granted by executive mandate, not through legislation, so presumably they could be revoked the same way.

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 13 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I'm largely uninformed on the specifics, but it's insane that he can use EOs to give himself the authority to do a thing, then go do the thing he previously wasn't allowed to do. What the fuck, America!?

[–] sleepydragn1@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

It's a little bit confusing, but from what I've read, the collective bargaining rights that they previously enjoyed were granted from the beginning by the agency's administrator, so it follows that they can be revoked by the agency's administrator in turn.

Here's a 2011 NPR article covering when they were initially granted those rights.

As always, this is the danger in allowing such rules to be set by the executive branch instead of codified into law — when the next guy is in office, they can always easily undo it.

[–] splinter@lemm.ee 9 points 2 days ago

No, he doesn’t. This is Trump just hurling executive orders at things he doesn’t like.

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 25 points 2 days ago (2 children)

You want to piss off employees who keep terrorists, drugs, and weapons out of the country?

On second thought... yes, he does, because he isn't working for Americans.

[–] DontTreadOnBigfoot@lemmy.world 49 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Except the TSA has never shown to be remotely effective at doing any of that.

I'm of the opinion that the TSA should probably be abolished, but keeping it while abusing its employees is the worst of both worlds...

[–] crusa187@lemmy.ml 17 points 1 day ago

Worst jobs program ever, all you need is a good metal detector and that’s it. The security theater after 9/11 has been and always will be a joke.

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Except the TSA has never shown to be remotely effective at doing any of that.

So, we'd all be OK if these 6,000+ loaded firearms PER YEAR were allowed to pass through unchecked?

There's always room for improvement, but the idea that everything needs to be abolished, rather than improved, seems crazy.

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 14 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Considering the TSA frequently fails up to up to 95% of tests, I'm going to guess the number of uneventful loaded firearms on planes is much higher.

https://web.archive.org/web/20220128030412/http://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/minneapolis-airport-tsa-fail

[–] Showroom7561@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

🫢 Like I said, room for improvement.

But context matters:

However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that airport security misses 95 percent of threats that pass through: The TSA red team is specially trained to detect weaknesses in security at airports throughout the nation.

So your run of the mill bad guy isn't going to sneak by so easily. And one can only imagine that most bad guys aren't some elite team of security experts... Unless they are in a Hollywood movie.

[–] AdamEatsAss@lemmy.world -4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

There is no way to quantify the number of attacks that would have happened without the TSA. "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure". The TSA is a very effective deterrent.

[–] orcrist@lemm.ee 5 points 1 day ago

Oh, my friend, of course we can quantify it. There was a time when TSA didn't exist. And of course many other countries don't have TSA.

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world -4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Bust/siezing data must be classified. I bet Congress has access to it, no?

Also many “mundane” duties of customs are important. Like keeping parasites or invasive species out.

[–] 4_degrees@lemmy.world 21 points 2 days ago (1 children)

TSA has nothing to do with customs, who do an actual important job as you note. TSA is strictly domestic "security"

[–] brucethemoose@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Ah yeah I mixed that up.

People are kinda crazy though. It doesn’t have to be so extreme, they aren’t going to stop a smart/motivated terrorist, but I think a deterrent against some poor soul bringing their family gun on board is a good idea.

[–] 4_degrees@lemmy.world 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Hey, maybe they're a deterrent but they definitely don't have a good track record. I just miss when you could see your friend or family member off to the gate. Now it's just another part of the misery factory that is air travel.

you still can go, you just have to ask the ticket agent for a pass to get through security.

[–] orcrist@lemm.ee 4 points 1 day ago

TSA is worthless, my friend. Nobody should support their agency. Fire them all, please. I do, however, support workers unionizing and striking, and if that is TSA employees, high five.

[–] queermunist@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Cops shouldn't have unions. 🤷‍♀️

[–] frezik@midwest.social 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

TSA are cops. Do we show solidarity with cop unions?

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 day ago

Cop unions are just gangs.

[–] TiggerYumYum@lemm.ee 5 points 1 day ago

SIC SEMPER TYRANNIS