Resolution in Support of AFGE’s Campaign to Organize TSA Employees

WHEREAS, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), AFL-CIO has consistently and successfully worked to organize and represent the federal employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) during the entire seven year-plus history of the TSA, in spite of every legal, political and management obstacle; and

WHEREAS, AFGE has established a record of accomplishment on behalf of TSA workers, winning many cases on behalf of individual members — including a key decision before the U.S. 9th Circuit Court — and using all available means to win improvements on the job, in spite of the lack of formal recognition; and

WHEREAS, more than 11,000 of the 38,000 federal Transportation Security Officers (TSO’s), Behavior Detection Officers (BDO’s), Lead TSO’s and Supervisory TSO’s are already dues-paying members of AFGE, thereby showing their support of AFGE as their union; and

WHEREAS, the AFL-CIO has consistently supported AFGE’s efforts to organize TSA during the whole tenure of the Bush Administration, including featuring TSO efforts to secure collective bargaining rights as part of the “Voice at Work” campaign; and

WHEREAS, AFL-CIO State Federations and Central Labor Councils have supported AFGE with timely resolutions and petitions in favor of collective bargaining rights and against contracting out federal screening functions; and

WHEREAS, the AFL-CIO has provided several significant organizing grants to AFGE for the TSA campaign; and 

WHEREAS, the AFL-CIO has invited AFGE members from TSA to speak at key labor rallies and public meetings and has put the rights of TSA employees to organize on every list of political and legislative priorities for needed change; and

WHEREAS, on August 7, 2007 AFL-CIO President Sweeney reported that the Strategic Campaign Registration Program Oversight Panel had granted AFGE’s TSA Registration Request for a three-year term; and

WHEREAS, with the ascension of a more pro-labor Administration in Washington, D.C., a legal framework for collective bargaining for TSA employees now seems in sight; and

WHEREAS, the election of AFGE as the exclusive representative of all eligible TSA federal employees would be a significant victory for union rights on the job for all working people in this country; therefore be it

RESOLVED that the Massachusetts AFL-CIO will ask the AFL-CIO to re-affirm its support for AFGE’s TSA campaign as a strategic campaign and expresses its support for AFGE in its efforts to become the exclusive representative of all eligible employees of the Transportation Security Administration nationwide; and calls upon all of labor in the Transportation Sector, and indeed all of organized labor to grant all material and moral support without qualification to the AFGE campaign for recognition at TSA; and be it further

RESOLVED that the Massachusetts AFL-CIO will ask the AFL-CIO to uurge the next confirmed TSA Administrator to take immediate internal administrative and executive action to rescind the agency’s ban so as to grant restored civil employee rights, protections, and collective bargaining rights to eligible TSO’s and TSA employees; and be it further

RESOLVED that the Massachusetts AFL-CIO will call upon our Commonwealth’s Governor; Mayor for the City of Boston; U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to support legislation to permanently grant collective bargaining rights and workplace protections to TSO’s as well as for these same elected officials to attend or host Local 2617 in support of union public events; and be it further

 

RESOLVED that the Massachusetts AFL-CIO request that the New Hampshire AFL-CIO call upon the New Hampshire Governor; Mayor for the City of Manchester; U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives for the state of New Hampshire; to support legislation to permanently grant collective bargaining rights and workplace protections to TSO’s as well as for these same elected officials to attend or host Local 2617 in support of union public events; and be it further

 

RESOLVED that the Massachusetts AFL-CIO will request that the New Hampshire AFL-CIO to call upon the City of Manchester’s elected officials overseeing Manchester International Airport to grant AFGE and AFGE Local 2617 equal access to any public location and space; the full rights to hold public recruiting, educational, benefits, training, and to provide legal counsel  “events”, as well as an ability for this same TSO union local to rent an office space on airport property; and be it further

RESOLVED that the Massachusetts AFL-CIO will call upon the Massachusetts Port Authority to grant AFGE and AFGE Local 2617 equal access to any public location and space; the full rights to hold public recruiting, educational, benefits, training, and, to provide legal counsel “events”, as well as an ability for this same TSO union local to rent an office space on airport property; and be it finally

 

RESOLVED that the President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO will transmit a copy of this resolution to all relevant parties to convey the strong support for AFGE’s campaign to organize TSA’s.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

A.J. Castilla

President, AFGE Local 2617