How Did Things Get So Bad at the TSA?
Joe Cortez May 26, 2016
Insight comes as more questions are being asked about the TSA.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is facing more potential questions about their leadership structure, as new data reveals only one executive has been dismissed from the embattled agency in the last five years. In data released by the Office of Personnel Management to NBC News, the TSA has experienced their highest turnover among non-executive roles between fiscal years 2011 and 2015.
The data reveals the agency released 6,889 non-executive employees in the five-year span, while another 5,000 to 7,000 quit on their own accord every year. In that same amount of time, only one executive was fired by the agency, while 91 left for other reasons. Over 50 of the departing executives retired, while 27 quit the agency entirely and five transferred to other government organizations. Union organizers say the disproportionate turnaround at the agency is evidence of the TSA’s internal strife.
“[TSA agents are] on a completely different pay scale and lack even the most basic workplace protections enjoyed by other workers in the federal and private sectors,” J. David Cox, Sr., national president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), told NBC News. “The high number of terminations in the TSA workforce is a potent symbol of this imbalance, and should be corrected to protect honest, hardworking employees from falling through the cracks.”
This new insight comes at a time where the TSA is receiving increased scrutiny both internally and externally, as long checkpoint lines build at America’s busiest airports. After a contentious appearance before the House Oversight Committee, former assistant administrator for security operations Kelly Hoggan was unceremoniously removed from his position on May 24. Meanwhile, the agency is facing additional scrutiny from the Office of the Inspector General, after employees allege they were instructed to racially profile in Minneapolis.
In the interim, all sides are working together to determine how to solve the TSA problem across the country. While the AFGE is pushing for more TSA employees, American Airlines is spending $4 million on contract workers to keep security lines moving.
[Photo: QUINN DOMBROWSK]
Yes - I now avoid the USA when transiting to another country. It is really is crazy!
I really like the picture as its DEN and I'm pretty sure that is me standing at the end of TSA pre check line in the pink shirt
The problem isn't a lack of staffing. It's TSA's existing staffing wasting their time on pointless and ineffective security. More in my article here: http://www.askthepilot.com/tsa-summer-meltdown/
It's not just TSA, CBP is a complete mess also. Arrived in LAX from Paris yesterday, US citizen, go to the kiosk where it validates your passport and image, then sends a vast majority that got green lights to a counter with a CBP agent that took "2 hours". What possible reason could CBP have for wasting my time like this? Under what circumstances could they deny me entry into my own country? It's been 15 years since this all started, and while we all sympathize with their need to keep us safe, there has to be a more intelligent approach.
Giving TSA employees benefits while good at improving morale does not address poor organization and lack of efficiency. Have they hired an efficiency expert? Lean manufacturing models? I know that TSA is not getting widgets through a line, but an evaluation?