TSA moves to end seated ID checks to keep officers 'alert'

Union says seating ban ignores officer safety and ergonomics

Airport security officers who verify boarding passes and IDs ahead of security checkpoints will no longer be allowed to sit down while working. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) confirmed recently that it is moving forward with the policy change to keep officers “alert.”

“This welcome change reinforces both our security posture and our commitment to hospitality by having these officers on their feet and alert,” a TSA spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News. “All officers must meet fitness for duty requirements to be capable of performing their vital national security function while simultaneously creating a welcoming and professional environment for travelers,” the statement added.

The American Federation of Government Employees Council (AFGEC), the union representing TSA officers, pushed back on the decision and said in a statement that it was not involved in it. “These chairs serve as basic ergonomic and safety support for officers that stand and walk on hard surfaces all day,” the union said. “TSA is treating this matter like it is a privilege – it is not; it is basic safety and common decency for the workforce.”

The union called the move a “disregard for employee rights and safety.” “This disregard for employee rights and safety is an example of a broad pattern of TSA’s true consideration of the employees who keep our nation safe,” the union’s statement said.

The change follows a turbulent year for the agency’s workforce. The TSA withstood a 76-day government shutdown from February to April that resulted in officers working without pay. Some TSA workers did not report for unpaid duty or quit their jobs, and lines at security checkpoints grew across the US.

TSA workers were paid at the end of March after a presidential order from Donald Trump. The government shutdown ended on April 30 after the US House passed a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security.

The union is also raising alarms over a new program that will expand privatized security checkpoints at three airports. The AFGE said it has been reviewing legal options to fight back against the privatization push from the Trump administration.

As TSA workers navigate the changes under the Trump administration, the union is urging congressional and senatorial leaders to join its “collective resistance.” “This is an opportune time to meet with members and non-members alike to tell and show them the importance of joining this union to form our collective resistance against this regime that is literally attempting to take out our workforce through whichever means possible,” the union’s statement concluded.