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Washington, D.C.—The head of the union representing tens of thousands of frontline homeland security employees pointed to a recent security lapse to again urge a quick Senate vote on the pending nomination of Erroll Southers as administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), President Colleen M. Kelley of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) said, “Mr. Southers already has been approved by two Senate committees and is clearly well-qualified for the job.” The letter today is a follow-up to a similar letter President Kelley sent earlier this month.
She added: “I know that you are dealing with many important issues, and that, as hard as you work to move things forward, there are others who seek to block that action.”
Nonetheless, Kelley said, given the numerous problems impacting TSA—including the recent Internet posting of a sensitive operations manual and its continuing over-reliance on private contractors—“the agency clearly is in need of a permanent leader who can begin to resolve some of its pressing issues."
NTEU is aggressively organizing Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) at airports around the nation, and represents thousands of the passenger and baggage security officers at air facilities both large and small.
In her letter, President Kelley stressed that getting the Southers nomination to a Senate vote promptly is imperative, given the high levels of airline passenger traffic and the important role that TSOs play in air travel security.
“This continued delay in seating a permanent TSA administrator only impedes efforts to strengthen the agency,” she said, calling it “critical” that the nomination be voted on before the upcoming congressional holiday recess.
NTEU is the largest independent federal union, representing 150,000 employees in 31 agencies and departments, including the entire 24,000-employee U.S. Customs and Border Protection workforce at the nation’s 327 air, land and sea ports of entry.