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Washington, D.C.—The leader of the union representing thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees asked the White House, as part of its review of policies, systems and actions surrounding the attempted Christmas Day bombing of an airliner, to make a concurrent assessment of issues facing frontline TSA employees.

In a letter to President Obama, President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) said: “We believe there are many issues facing frontline TSA personnel, the resolution of which could greatly enhance their ability to successfully provide the most effective transportation security system in the world.”

Noting that the White House has said the review of the lapses associated with this attempted terrorist act would be both dynamic and continuing over several months, Kelley commended the president for his “quick action” to review matters related to air travel security.

While it is clear that frontline TSA personnel were not involved in the Christmas Day incident, reviewing issues impacting TSA employees at the same time likely would lead to positive steps helping turn TSA into a world-class law enforcement agency, the NTEU leader said. Reaching that goal, however, requires immediate attention to a number of “serious policy considerations that are impeding TSA’s effectiveness,” she said.

“When TSA was created, the goal was to create a professional, stable, experienced workforce,” President Kelley wrote. “Nine years later, TSA has one of the highest attrition rates, close to the highest injury rate and the lowest morale in the federal government. Clearly, these facts are evidence that the goals of (the law creating TSA) are not being met.”

Topping the list of needed actions, she said, is the prompt confirmation of Erroll Southers as TSA administrator; “TSA desperately needs experienced, permanent leadership,” Kelley said, expressing gratitude to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) for his commitment to quick action on the nomination once the Senate reconvenes later this month.

Along with confirmation of Southers, the NTEU leader called for a review of the pay of Transportation Security Officers (TSOs); improved training; and measures to ensure that national policies are followed by TSA management across the country.

On the matter of pay, Kelley pointed out the Congressional Budget Office estimates that TSO pay is some $1,700 less per year than that of their counterparts in the General Schedule pay system which covers the majority of the federal workforce.

Recently, she pointed out, a review of the adequacy of pay for U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers—long sought by NTEU—resulted in an upgrade for CBP law enforcement-related positions. “We urge a similar review for TSOs, and believe that upgrading their pay to reflect their mission-critical duties would lead to a distinct improvement in the agency’s ability to recruit and retain a highly-skilled, professional workforce.”

At the same time, she urged that training practices for TSOs be reviewed and significantly improved. “Training procedures for TSOs should be state-of-the-art,” she wrote, “but they are not.” And she called unacceptable the practice—widely-acknowledged by TSA’s top managers—that nationally-set practices are not followed by local managers.

“Since taking office,” she wrote to President Obama, “you have made clear that you see great value in listening to the views and suggestions of frontline employees. TSA employees have a lot of ideas about how to improve the workplace and enhance security practices that are not being tapped into. It would be my hope that by working together, we would be able to develop a system that would encourage, recognize and reward employees for such contributions.”

NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments, including TSOs at airports coast-to-coast.