TSA officers are receiving overdue paychecks as a prolonged shutdown continues. Here’s what that means for the nation’s airports.
WASHINGTON – Frustrating security lines dwindled at U.S. airports on Monday, removing some of the worst bottlenecks as Transportation Safety Administration officers began receiving backpay for working during the government shutdown.
What was a four-hour checkpoint line at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport turned into a wait of 10 minutes or less on Monday. Wait times pushed beyond two hours at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Monday morning, but that appeared to be an exception, with normal waits at previous trouble spots such as Baltimore-Washington International Airport and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
After weeks of airport chaos, there was finally optimism for the beleaguered aviation system. Weary travelers hope the overdue paychecks will end the seemingly endless security lines and missed flights that many experienced in recent weeks. It remains unknown how long it will take for wait times to normalize and how long federal immigration officers will maintain a visible presence in airport terminals as the busy spring break travel season continues.
TSA workers told union leadership Monday that they received some – but not all – of their back pay, according to Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the TSA union. He said the rest, from a partial paycheck at the start of the shutdown, is expected by next week. The TSA chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees also raised concerns that some employees reported incorrect backpay amounts, including missing overtime and improper tax withholdings.
The union also said the TSA updated its furlough policy on Sunday, removing guidance that allowed officers to request a furlough if they could not report to work for reasons tied to the shutdown, such as lack of transportation or childcare. “Working without pay forced more than 500 officers to leave TSA and thousands were forced to call out,” acting TSA Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in announcing the delayed payday. The union agreed with these numbers, but said those who could not afford to report for duty now “have disciplinary actions looming over their heads.” “Backpay alone does not fix those problems,” the union said.
The DHS shutdown resulted in not only travel delays but also warnings of airport closures as TSA workers missing paychecks stopped going to work. Those workers were just recovering financially since last fall’s extended government shutdown.
President Donald Trump on Friday ordered the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA officers immediately to ease the lines plaguing airports. The move came after Trump rejected bipartisan congressional efforts to fund the TSA while negotiations continue with Democrats, who have refused to approve more funding without restraints on Trump’s immigration enforcement and mass deportation operations. Democrats are demanding better identification for the officers, judicial warrants in some cases and for agents to refrain from conducting raids around schools, churches or other sensitive places. Republicans and the White House have been willing to negotiate on some points, but the sides have yet to reach a final agreement.
The overall absentee rate among TSA officers scheduled to work dipped slightly on Sunday, according to DHS. The highest were concentrated at major airports that have seen consistently elevated absences lately. Those included BWI, both of Houston’s main airports; Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans; and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
Associated Press reporters Rio Yamat in Las Vegas and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed.
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