Orrin Hatch: “last week I shared some of my thoughts and concerns regarding section 803 of S. 4. I am referring to the section that…”

“last week I shared some of my thoughts and concerns regarding section 803 of S. 4. I am referring to the section that was inserted into this important piece of legislation during the committee consideration; this section would permit TSA's Transportation security officers, our Nation's airport security screeners, to engage in collective bargaining--a change that was not recommended by the 9/11 Commission. During those remarks, as a former union member, I argued that collective bargaining would adversely affect one of the greatest weapons that our Transportation security officers employ: the flexibility to change tactics quickly. Why? Because we all know that one of the central aspects of any collective bargaining agreement is a determination of the conditions by which an employee works; when a person works, where he or she works, and how he or she works are all matters which are open to negotiation. Obviously, efficiency and productivity can be dramatically affected-- for better or worse--by a collective bargaining agreement. In my last address on this issue, I also pointed out that flexibility has been one of the central tenets of our Nation's successful antiterrorism response, as was shown so well last August when the security services of the United Kingdom discovered a well-organized conspiracy that reportedly sought to blow up commercial aircraft in flight using liquid explosives disguised as items commonly found in carry-on luggage.”