As highly valued as cheap fares are, be they cheap airplane tickets or cheap vacation packages, their worth could be greatly diminished if the decision to allow the unionization of airport screeners leads to illegal strikes or work slowdowns.
To calm fears about what he views as unlikely, John Pistole, the head of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has said that he would be willing to fire TSA employees in masse if they engaged in any unauthorized job action.
Republicans have pointed to the 1981 strike by air traffic controllers as one of their reasons to be concerned about TSA workers organizing.
During testimony before the House Homeland Security Transportation Subcommittee Pistole admitted that privatization of airport screens had worked and that he had not ruled out the possibility of privatizing more airport security in the future. However, for the time being Pistole has decided against allowing any further privatization.
He said that he wants to see a trusted traveler program rolled out later this year. Pistol noted that currently TSA screeners use a one size fits all approach in screening passengers. He believes that travelers willing to provide information so that TSA can do criminal history checks as well as other types of checks should then be exposed to a different, less intrusive level of security screening.
Pistol observed that recent covert tests of airport checkpoints conducted by the Government Accountability Office in January showed progress had been made. In the past screeners have performed poorly in finding weapons and explosive components plainclothes testers have attempted to sneak through checkpoints.
Pistole noted that TSAs recent emphasis on screening thermos bottles was the result of credible intelligence that al Qaeda was looking at using PETN, a chemical explosive, in thermos liners. The same day TSA received information about this threat its security officers were notified and immediately began enhanced screening of thermoses.
www.cheapfares.com