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Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers were warned in an email Thursday that not showing up to work during the shutdown “will not be tolerated”—while TSA officers told Forbes the memo’s partisan tone made them feel like they are being “used as props.”
“Small percentages of our colleagues are not showing up to work (for illegitimate purposes),” which is “disappointing, does not reflect the values of TSA” and leaves others “forced to pick up the slack,” TSA acting administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill wrote Thursday in a memo to staff reviewed by Forbes.
“This is particularly demoralizing and unfair, and will not be tolerated,” McNeill added.
McNeill’s email blamed “Senate Democrats’ recalcitrance” for the shutdown.
Three TSA officers told Forbes the partisan tone of the memo was not well-received by staff, saying “people are very put-off by this rhetoric” and “we feel sickened.”
The Trump administration plans to roll out a partisan “public service” video at airports across the U.S. with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for funding lapses in TSA workers’ pay during the government shutdown, CNN reported.
Like air traffic controllers, TSA officers are classified as essential employees—meaning they must keep working without pay during the shutdown—and will get back-pay restored after the funding lapse ends.
TSA officers are scheduled for a partial paycheck on Friday and, if the shutdown drags on, a zero paycheck on Oct. 24.
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One TSA officer told Forbes that McNeill’s memo was “already having a chilling effect with the workforce,” as many workers fear retaliation “as implied in her letter.” The politicized language was a particular sore point, with an officer telling Forbes he didn’t appreciate the “one-sided attack where we are being used as props” and another saying he had never before seen the agency blame one political party for a shutdown. “Hatch Act?” he asked, referring to the 1939 law designed to ensure that federal programs are run in a non-partisan manner and free from political coercion. In the airport video first obtained by Fox News, Noem tells travelers “Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government,” claiming that is why “most of our TSA employees are working without pay.” A professor who teaches air traffic controllers-in-training told Forbes the partisan nature of the video was “completely out of line.” Forbes has reached out to the TSA for comment.
“For those that are in charge of the security and safety of our airports, that language is uncalled for,” Chad Kendall, an associate professor and FAA chief instructor in the Department of Aviation and Aerospace Science at Metropolitan State University of Denver, told Forbes. “We're talking about real people who in this government shutdown are still going to get an electricity bill. I would suspect that you will see some TSA workers start seeking other employment opportunities during this time, because they need to pay the bills and they need to keep food on table for their families, and that will further drive up the delays to the traveling public trying to get to flights.”
Historically, the strain of working without pay during shutdowns has led to low morale and increased absenteeism among TSA workers. The average TSA screener makes $48,520 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and many live paycheck to paycheck, a representative of AFGE Council 100, the union representing TSA workers, told Forbes. During the 2018 government shutdown, which lasted 35 days, hundreds of TSA screeners called in sick, leading to flight delays and longer screening lines.
Air travelers should expect longer screening lines at airport security checkpoints and should plan to arrive earlier to the airport. TSA is no longer updating wait time information on its website or the MyTSA app.
6,678. That’s how many guns TSA officers stopped at airport security checkpoints last year—and 94% were loaded.
On Thursday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that air traffic controllers who call in sick during the shutdown will not be paid and could be fired—a threat aviation experts told Forbes is likely to backfire.
Hundreds Of Unpaid TSA Agents Are Calling In Sick—Expect Longer Airport Security Lines (Forbes)