For Immediate Release

AFSCME’s Saunders: This retaliatory attack on TSA agents jeopardizes public safety

WASHINGTON – AFSCME President Lee Saunders released the following statement after the Department of Homeland Security moved to strip Transportation Security Officers of their collective bargaining rights:

“AFSCME stands in solidarity with the 47,000 unionized TSA agents, many of whom are veterans, whose freedom to collectively bargain is under assault by anti-union extremists. TSA agents use their voice on the job to improve their working conditions and ensure that we all can enjoy safe air travel. When they’re no longer free to speak without fear of retaliation, we jeopardize public safety and lose out on their valuable knowledge. 

“We know this retaliatory attack is just the beginning. If they can strip TSA agents of their freedom to join a union, they will continue to threaten the collective bargaining rights of all workers. Together, with AFGE and the labor movement, we will continue to organize against these attacks on our workplaces and communities.”

AFSCME’s 1.4 million members provide the vital services that make America happen. With members in communities across the nation, serving in hundreds of different occupations — from nurses to corrections officers, child care providers to sanitation workers — AFSCME advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence in public services and freedom and opportunity for all working families.

###American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO
1625 L Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20036-5687
Telephone: (202) 429-1145
Fax: (202) 429-1120

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