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Albany, N.Y.—Job site concerns and ways to address those issues were the topics of a key meeting today between Rep. Paul Tonko (D) and local TSA Officers (TSOs) from Albany International Airport.

Rep. Tonko visited TSA employees at the invitation of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU), which represents thousands of TSOs nationwide and is actively organizing at New York’s capital city airport. The meeting took place at noon in the observation room of the Albany airport.

NTEU has been fighting for the rights of TSA employees since the agency’s creation. Although Congress gave the TSA Administrator the authority to decide whether TSA employees would be granted collective bargaining rights, the previous administration denied them those rights. NTEU is working with Congress and the Obama administration to secure collective bargaining rights for TSA employees.

“TSA employees are responsible for the safety of the traveling public and should work in an environment that respects their role and contribution,” said NTEU National President Colleen M. Kelley. “Instead these employees lack a number of critical civil service protections and have been denied collective bargaining rights. NTEU is committed to changing that and making much-needed workplace improvements that will immediately benefit all U.S. fliers, including the more than one million who travel from the Albany airport each year.”

Legislation is currently pending in Congress that will make great strides toward improving the TSA workplace by providing collective bargaining rights to employees and ending the agency’s failed personnel system known as the Performance and Accountability Standards System (PASS). The bill, H.R. 1881, would move TSA employees onto the General Schedule (GS) personnel system, a credible and transparent structure which covers the bulk of federal employees.

President Kelley commended Rep. Tonko for meeting with local TSOs and listening to their workplace concerns, adding that she hopes the meeting convinces Rep. Tonko to cosponsor H.R. 1881.

“This legislation opens the door to a huge opportunity to make TSA the best-run airport security agency in the world,” Kelley said. “Given the crucial position of TSA employees in protecting our nation’s airports and securing the safety of the traveling public, putting them onto a true merit pay system and giving them a seat at the table will serve our country well.”

NTEU has a well-established record of delivering workplace rights and benefits to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers (CBPOs), who work alongside TSOs in airports from coast to coast, including at Albany International Airport. NTEU is the exclusive representative of the 21,000-employee CBP unit.

TSA employees see the stability of the CBP workplace and the respect the Officers are accorded and want NTEU’s help in securing that same workplace environment.

“NTEU is uniquely qualified to represent TSA employees given its long history of representing other federal employees who work in our nation’s airports and protect our security,” President Kelley said. “CBPOs understand the value of strong representation and the quality workplace benefits that NTEU has secured for them over the years and they are sharing that knowledge with their TSA colleagues nationwide.”

Securing full civil service protections for TSOs is a key component of the NTEU’s comprehensive five-point plan for the TSA workforce—a concrete set of goals that will ensure stability of the agency nationwide. The plan calls for collective bargaining rights and an end to PASS, along with full whistleblower protections by statute; a fair shift-scheduling system and adequate staffing; and revisions to the current TSA training and recertification system.

“Securing full collective bargaining rights for TSOs and giving these dedicated employees a powerful voice in their everyday work lives is our top priority,” President Kelley said.

The largest independent federal employees union, NTEU represents some 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments.