"It's Menial Labor"

A program that offered airport security screeners a combined $18 million in bonuses if they stayed on the job through the summer... did not have the effect the Transportation Security Administration had hoped for.

USA Today reports than despite offers from $500 to $1,000 for screeners who agreed to stay on the job, the overall turnover rate since May was unchanged from the winter and summer months -- with over one in five screeners opting for greener pastures, well, almost anywhere.

"It's menial labor," said aviation consultant Michael Boyd. "These are people who paw through luggage."

As Aero-News reported, the TSA announced the bonus program -- which applied to 36,000 of the 45,000 screeners on payroll -- in May. Many screeners denounced the bonuses at the time as not nearly enough money to sway their decisions to stay on the job.

For its part, the TSA admits it has a problem... and is taking additional steps to solve it. That includes a new program that raises pay for veteran screeners by up to $5,300, and better positions them to move into other jobs with the Secret Service, or the Border Patrol.

Advanced screener positions -- those that focus on bomb detection, for example -- also offer annual salaries up to $56,700, which is a far cry from the $30,000 per year starting wage.

TSA associate administrator Gale Rossides says those improvements are intended to elevate screening "from a dead-end job to an occupation where (screeners) can see years of opportunity."

Despite the apparent hemorrhaging of personnel, the TSA notes overall retention rates are higher than they were prior to 9/11 -- when private companies handled screening duties.

FMI: www.tsa.gov