County Board Votes To Rescind Airport Privatization Approval

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to rescind its approval for Sacramento International Airport to be allowed to privatize, or use corporate airport screeners in place of federal employees. The move was the result of a lobbying effort lasing nearly a year on the part of the American Federation of Government Employees, the union representing TSA workers.

"AFGE is very pleased that the Sacramento Board recognizes the value in a federal workforce at TSA and has revoked its previous approval for privatization," AFGE National President J. David Cox Sr. said. "The Sacramento airport authority's attempt to abandon its public servants in favor of corporations with only profit in mind was short-sighted at best. There simply are some functions too important to be left to companies that would be unaccountable to the American people, and securing American skies is definitely one of them."

The Sacramento Bee reports that the vote was 4-1 to rescind the approval, with only Supervisor Susan Peters voting to continue on the path to privatization. The plan to allow the Sacramento County Airport System to apply to TSA's Screening Partnership Program, which allows commercial airports to apply to use private sector screeners, had been passed last January at the request of county airports director Hardy Acree, who retired last month. Of the nation's 450 airports, only 16 use private contractors. The GAO recently reported that there has not yet been sufficient monitoring of privatized security to know if there is a substantial difference between a private company and the federal government.

There was reportedly little public discussion about the move before it was approved, and the lobbying effort on the part of AFGE, as well as the Association of Flight Attendants and local elected officials including State Assemblymen Roger Kickinson and Richard Pan, began almost immediately. Pan said that the plan should be placed on hold at least until a replacement for Acree is named, which will likely happen soon.

"Our officers lived with the threat of this over their heads for an entire year and can now go back to doing what they do best—protecting American skies," said James Mudrock, president of AFGE Local 1230, which represents TSA workers at Sacramento airport. "We are very grateful for the work by AFGE's national staff and the Sacramento County Labor Council, both of whom were instrumental in getting this vote turned around. We also would like to thank the Association of Flight Attendants [AFA-CWA] for their continued support and speaking out on our behalf."

"Proponents of a private screening workforce are misinformed about costs and labor issues and should instead be working to empower federal screeners to do their jobs," said AFGE TSA Council 100 President Hydrick Thomas

Upon learning of the Sacramento airport plans, AFGE, working with the Sacramento County Labor Council, took immediate action to stop the privatization efforts. At AFGE's urging, the California Labor Federation passed a resolution opposing outsourcing at TSA, and members of the general public and the Sacramento City Council signed a constituent letter opposing the measure.

FMI: www.tsaunion.com, www.saccounty.net