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Washington, D.C.— On the surface, a newly-released Transportation Security Administration (TSA) report appears to outline performance levels and matching merit rewards but in truth the system intended to reward TSA employees for good performance instead results in workers being confused about how ratings were reached and the arbitrary nature of the payments.

The 2009 Performance Accountability and Standards System (PASS) report shows that 80 percent of the agency’s frontline workforce will receive average merit pay increases of 2 percent or less on salaries which start at $24,000 per year and 50 percent of the workforce will receive 1 percent salary increase, a one-time performance bonus of $1,000 or less, or, nothing at all.

“PASS is widely disliked by most of the TSA workforce who believe they are compensated poorly and treated unfairly and this year’s results are no exception,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley who today repeated her call for TSA to scrap its current pay system in favor of one that is credible and transparent and recognizes and rewards high-performing employees.

NTEU-represented employees describe PASS in unfavorable terms. One employee said “PASS is set up to fail people.” Another employee commented “Concerning scoring for Role Model (the highest level), I can’t get the same answer from anyone on what the actual score is for making that grade. From what I have been told it changes each year. Nothing like trying to hit a moving target.” A third TSA employees said “As usual PASS shows it is an unfair, unstable evaluation and reward system.”

In a white paper presented to TSA management, “Building a Strong and Effective TSA Workforce,” NTEU identified several problems with PASS:

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The system is subject to constant change and revision;

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Employees are not told at the beginning of the appraisal what performance at specific levels will earn;

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Employees find out at the end of the year how distributions are to be made;

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The basic structure of the pay system is low. As a group, TSA employees are among the lowest-paid federal workers; and

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Low base salaries mean meager performance incentives.

One NTEU member will receive a smaller merit pay bump – only $373 – in 2010, despite receiving a higher PASS score than in years past. “The fact that you can score higher from one year to the next and receive a smaller merit-pay increase points to the unfair and arbitrary nature of the PASS system,” Kelley said.

In congressional testimony and other forums since the agency’s inception in 2001, President Kelley has repeatedly pointed to a fair and credible pay system and full collective bargaining rights as key elements in the development of a stable, focused and professional workforce. NTEU is supporting legislation, H.R. 1881, which would provide collective bargaining rights to TSA employees and end the PASS system, moving TSA workers to the General Schedule system under which most federal employees are paid.

In addition to pressing for legislation to secure fair pay and bargaining rights for TSA employees, NTEU also has pushed for administrative action by the Obama administration. President Kelley is looking for steady progress on the nomination of Erroll G. Southers to be the next TSA Administrator and, once confirmed, she looks forward to working with him on a variety of TSA issues including PASS.

Fair pay and civil service protections for TSA employees are key components of NTEU’s comprehensive five-point plan for the TSA workforce—a concrete set of goals that will address concerns of employees nationwide. The plan also calls for full whistleblower protections by statute; a fair shift-scheduling system and adequate staffing; and revisions to the current TSA training and recertification system.

“We can strengthen TSA by providing its workers with a pay and performance system that employees can view with clarity and trust,” said NTEU President Colleen M. Kelley. “The system in place today falls far short of those standards.”

NTEU represents 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments and is aggressively organizing thousands of TSA employees at airports nationwide. TSA is a unit of the Department of Homeland Security, where NTEU already is the exclusive representative for the 24,000-member U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) bargaining unit.