Historic union vote for airport officers begins

Historic union vote for airport officers begins

Joe Davidson

At a time when basic public employee union activities in state governments are under attack, Uncle Sam is staging what labor leaders say is the largest federal union organizing effort in history.

In contrast to Wisconsin and Ohio, where conservative politicians want to strip labor organizations of certain collective bargaining rights, 44,000 federal transportation security officers will be able to vote to choose a union, or no union, during a six-week period beginning Wednesday.

"It certainly is a contrast, and I'm very proud of the Obama administration for standing up and granting collective bargaining rights to TSOs, especially in the face of this outrageous attack on public employees that's going on in Wisconsin and Ohio," said John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees. He spoke by phone from the Minneapolis airport, where he met with potential union members. "I just wish the American public would sit in some of the discussions we're having with TSOs and hear their frustrations and how they feel unions will make their working life better and contribute to the security of the airports."

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AFGE and NTEU, the two biggest federal unions, both want to represent the TSOs, and winning the election would provide a major boost to the victor. That would be particularly welcome during a period when the atmosphere for public workers, at state and federal levels, is far more hostile than it was just months ago.

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