Scores To Determine Who Keeps Their Jobs

Here's the deal.

You have a job.

But if you want to keep the job, you have to take a test. That's how it is for TSA screeners at Westchester County Airport (NY). They're mad as hell, and they're threatening not to take it anymore.

The TSA, which ballooned in the 18 months since 9/11, is now in cutback mode. Some screeners who have jobs now won't have them in a matter of weeks. At Westchester County, that means as many as 30 of the 86 screeners now on staff won't be when it's all over. To determine who stays and who goes, the Administration has come up with a test.

"Somebody who is a terrible worker could take my job if I don't do well on this test," said Kristine Koziak, 24, a lead screener at Westchester County. She was quoted by the Journal-News.Com.

"I'm a good worker, because I got promoted. But somebody who's below me but may test better may get the job, and I'll be out of a job."

With that in mind, many of the airport's screeners are refusing to take the test. They'd rather their supervisors be trusted with the decision of who stays and who goes. That got the TSA's attention. Spokesman Mark Hatfield told the Journal-News screeners could be courting trouble if they refuse to take the test.

"That would be poor judgment on their part," he said. "There are airports in commuting distance here that are having reductions, and there will be trained screeners available and looking for positions."

Nobody ever gave the TSA points for being nice.

The 6,000-job cutback nationwide has also caught the attention of Congressional members. "I am very concerned about the cuts Westchester County Airport will sustain," said Rep. Nita Lowey, (D-NY).

"These cuts could hamper baggage screening, cause increased delays and processing time, and will certainly hurt the many families who will join the unemployment rolls at a time when jobs are scarce."

FMI: www.tsa.gov