Of Cabbages and those who would be Kings

There has been much discussion lately within the industry over the privatization of airport security – both checkpoint screener personnel and facility security as a whole.  Proponents argue the Privatization of this vital function would increase security officer performance and professionalism, while enhancing passenger facilitation.  Opponents argue the additional bureaucratic structure which would need to be created to ensure compliance with ICAO, US TSA and EU Security standards would overwhelm already financially strapped governments and open the door for mass corruption, nepotism and fraud.

 Regardless of which side of the fence one finds oneself, each side can agree that within the context of the overall discussion, little attention has been paid to the ramifications of unionization within the confines of a privatized aviation security structure.

An Historical Context

The American labor movement began in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where the first child labor law was enacted in 1836.  As a direct result of wage cuts, poor working conditions and violent outbreaks of strikes becoming rampant among mine workers and railroad employees, the roles of the Knights of Labor movement swelled to some 700,000 workers in less than a decade. This key labor movement participated in the famous Haymarket Square riot of 1886 in Chicago along with a host of various trade unions – fighting for fair labor practices in all trades.  Consolidated under the Samuel Gompers' American Federation of Labor – now simply the AFL- unions began an era of unprecedented expansionism and capital gains for all workers.

The Transport Workers Union began representing airline employees in early 1945, some twenty one years following its founding by subway workers in New York City.  Organizing Pan American World Airways workers in Miami, the union quickly garnered the majority of flight attendants and airline maintenance employees of the day.¹  TWU now represents ground service employees, maintenance workers, flight attendants and other employees from a number of US and global air carriers, airports and support services.

Beginning at United Airlines in the 1940s Flight Attendant Unions were formed in order to negotiate similar improvements in pay, benefits and working conditions to those granted pilots and flight deck officers. Those unions would later challenge what they perceived as sexist stereotypes and unfair work practices such as age limits, size limits, limitations on marriage, and prohibition of pregnancy. As a result of their bargaining power, many of these limitations have been lifted by judicial mandates. The largest flight attendants union is the Association of Flight Attendants², representing over 42,000 flight attendants at 21 airlines within the US alone.

Globally UK, cabin crew are represented by either Cabin Crew '89, or the much larger and more powerful Transport and General Workers' Union. In Australia, flight attendants are represented by the Flight Attendants' Association of Australia (FAAA). There are two divisions: one for international crews and one for domestic crews. New Zealand, Flight Attendants are represented by either: the Flight Attendants and Related Services Association (FARSA) or by the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union (EPMU).

Pilots too have taken to the idea of unionization – in particular aspects of collective bargaining and strength through association.  Formed in 1931 by David L. Behncke in Chicago, Illinois, the Air Line Pilots Association fought diligently against low pay, poor working conditions and popular anti-union sentiment of the day.  By 1934, the ALPA had won an 85 hour per month work cycle and average pilot base pay of some $1,600 USD per year – growing to some $8,000.00 USD by 1934.  Today there are some dozen major pilot unions across the globe.

In what has been referred to by author Joseph McCatin as "one of the most important events in late twentieth century US labor history", the 1981 PATCO (Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization) strike and subsequent firing by Pres. Ronald Reagan of some 11,345 US air traffic controllers who ignored his order to return to work, foreshadowed the labor – government adversarial relationship often encountered today.  PATCO's fight for safe skies, labor rights and secure working conditions brought on the ire of a strong Federal Government.  Amidst claims of "national security issues" and evoking provisions of the 1947 Taft Hartley Act ³ President Reagan effective 'busted the union'.

Unions and Privatization

Today the battle being waged in the state of Wisconsin between Governor Scott Walker and the public sector unions appears little more than an a thinly veiled attempt to roll back collective bargaining rights and effectively emasculate any unions' ability to secure adequate wages, healthcare benefits and fair labor practices for their respective members.  Here, once again, we see a political struggle, perhaps all too reminiscent of President Reagan's clash with PATCO, some thirty years ago.

On the surface, the privatization of airport security would appear to be a viable alternative to government intervention in the private sector economy.  On the surface, areas such as passenger facilitation, professionalism and cost-effectiveness all would benefit from a truly competitive environment. 

In a statement released on 4 February 2011, US Rep. John L Mica (R-FL), and Chair of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released the following statement:

"This turnover of airport screening to the Administration's union cronies comes on the heels of last week's decision to kill the successful TSA contract screening program, all bad news for the traveler, the taxpayer and aviation security. With the airport screening force mushrooming from 16,500 in 2001 to now nearly 63,000, this will be President Obama's biggest gift to organized labor.

 The Congressman went on to say:

"When the TSA was established, it was never envisioned that it would become a huge, unwieldy bureaucracy which was soon to grow to 67,000 employees," Mr. Mica wrote in a letter last year to the heads of more than 150 airports nationwide. "As TSA has grown larger, more impersonal, and administratively top-heavy, I believe it is important that airports across the country consider utilizing the opt-out provision provided by law."⁴

As late as 24 January 2011, the U.S. TSA announced it will continue to accept applications from airports wishing to opt-out and employ private sector screeners – however unless a clear and substantial advantage to do so emerges in the future, the requests will not be approved.⁵

Commenting on this decision, Rep. Mica responded:

"It's unimaginable that TSA would suspend the most successfully performing passenger screening program we've had over the last decade. The agency should concentrate on cutting some of the more than 3,700 administrative personnel in Washington who concocted this decision, and reduce the army of TSA employees that has ballooned to more than 62,000.  Nearly every positive security innovation since the beginning of TSA has come from the contractor screening program. I intend to launch a full investigation and review of the matter..." ⁶

So how do we perceive the role of Unions within the privatization of airport security?  Will collective bargaining among private sector security employees threaten a nation's security, global passenger facilitation, or the airline industry as a whole?  Where do we draw the lines between power, authority, safety and security?  

History has shown the role of unions to be significant in achieving and protecting the basic rights of workers.  Whether pilot, flight attendant ground maintenance, mechanic or airport support personnel – such as security officers, firefighters or ATC.  No one can deny the importance of a work environment where "collective bargaining" plays a major role.  Yet, in today's world where turbulent economic factors, the threat of global terrorism, and political instability are commonplace, can we truly rely on the ethics and morality of would be union leaders to ensure the efficacy of the air transport system as a whole?

Notes

1.       TWU represents ground service employees, maintenance workers, flight attendants and other employees at a number of different airlines, including American Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Continental Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, America West Airlines and Alaska Airlines. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_Workers_Union_of_America) (TWU Home: http://www.twu.org/)

2.       The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) is the world's largest labor union organized by flight attendants for flight attendants.  AFA represents nearly 50,000 flight attendants at 21 airlines, serving as a voice for flight attendants at their workplace, in the industry, in the media and on Capitol Hill.   Simply put, the goal of flight attendants who become part of AFA-CWA is to negotiate better pay, benefits, working conditions and work rules at their airline, and to improve their safety on the job.( http://www.afanet.org/default.asp?id=2)

3.       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taft_Hartley_Act

4.       Transportation and Infrastructure Sub Committee website: http://transportation.house.gov/news/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1063

5.       TSA Keys handed to Unions, The Washington Times, 4 Feb 2011

6.       Mica statement on TSA Halting Expansion of Screening Program, 28 Jan 2011