Not quite true. TSOs can't be fired arbitrarily; there has to be cause. However, it is true that we do not have the same protections as other federal employees.

It's been my experience that screeners are rarely fired. Instead, they essentially opt to resign rather than be fired. In many cases, these were wise alternatives. In other cases, management had a weak case but bluffed its way through with intimidation tactics to have the screener resign. In some cases, it's a matter of getting rid of a screener on a technicality. Some of these are deserved while others are cheap little stab-in-the-back stunts. (One of the things I refuse to do is volunteer for "collateral duties." Even though management tries to coax us with all sorts of incentives, including bonuses, my suspicious nature tells me that if I ever lost my certification while working in the office as some staff puke that I wouldn't receive any thanks for my contributions but would, instead, be kicked out into the street. Besides, I know, for example, that I could reorganize that poor excuse they call an operations center into an efficient operation; done it countless times during my military career under much more demanding circumstances. But the mercenary in me wants to be paid in real dollars for that talent; so I stick to the basic job of screening rather than volunteer for any other duties. Keeps things in very simple terms, and I like simple.)