On the recordFebruary 3, 2011
I rise today to strongly oppose Senator Wicker's amendment to prevent Transportation Security Administration employees from being able to collectively bargain. There is no need for the Senate to use valuable time considering this issue right now. Congress gave the Administrator of TSA the authority to determine if and how collective bargaining should take place in the Air Transportation Security Act, which established TSA in the wake of the attacks of September 11. Administrator Pistole, who has a strong national security background, is evaluating this issue in detail and I believe we should let him complete his review. Although I believe Administrator Pistole should be given time to make the decision on granting collective bargaining rights to TSA employees, I want to address the arguments some are making in opposing TSA workers' rights. I believe giving TSA employees a greater voice in the workplace would be good for security. TSA suffers from low morale, high attrition, and high injury rates. National security is jeopardized when agencies charged with protecting our safety continually lose trained and talented employees due to workplace injuries and a lack of employee protections. Moreover, the vast majority of Federal employees have collective bargaining rights.
