Thu, Aug 14, 2003
If There's Anything More Complicated Than Bureaucracy, It's
Unionized Bureaucracy
The American Federation of
Government Employees (AFGE) has charged the Transportation Security
Administration with illegally trampling on the rights of our
nation's veterans and other professional federal employees.
In a class action suit, AFGE charges TSA with violating the
Aviation and Transportation Security Act, the Veterans' Preference
Act, the Administrative Procedures Act and the Age Discrimination
in Employment Act, as well as the First and Fifth Amendments of the
U.S. Constitution.
AFGE points out in its complaint that TSA is ignoring veterans'
preference in its reduction-in-force (RIF) decisions, RIFing older
employees and union activists, many with spotless performance
records. Retention registers have not been established,
re-employment rights have been denied to employees who have been
let go, and no consideration is being given to employees' length of
federal service.
"The bottom line is TSA management is using its staff reduction
to remove employees they don't like, despite their performance
record," said AFGE National President Bobby L. Harnage, Sr. "It's
not what you know, but who [sic] you know that lands you a job with
TSA and the same criteria is [sic] being used to determine who goes
and who stays."
AFGE is asking the U.S. District Court for the District of
Columbia to enjoin TSA Administrator James Loy from hiring new
security screeners who have not previously been laid off and from
laying off further security screeners. "There is a clear public
interest in having a security screening force that can focus itself
on maintaining aviation security and is not distracted by concerns
of a future RIF that is not in accordance with law," AFGE stated in
its suit.
"AFGE intends to continue filing lawsuits until TSA realizes
that the laws of our nation apply to all citizens-even TSA
screeners," Harnage concluded.
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