Dear John,
We are excited to share a major win for TSOs across the country!
With the signing of the 2023 omnibus budget bill by President Joe Biden last week, TSA officers will now receive a pay raise!
So many of you have been there with us since the beginning. For two decades we have been fighting to achieve increased pay and collective bargaining rights for TSOs. Our hard work has paid off!
Approximately $398 million has been allotted to TSA to improve the pay for the working people who protect America’s skies – who are currently among the federal government’s worst-paid employees. This increase in pay will move TSOs closer to an equivalent to the general schedule pay scale that most federal employees receive.
The budget also included $61 million to be used for hiring new employees and $94 million for retaining exit-lane employees.
A new determination was also recently issued by TSA Administrator David Pekoske. The new determination expands the bargaining rights of TSOs, including key provisions of Title 5 rights enjoyed by most other federal employees. This determination is a positive step forward for both workers and the agency itself.
Employees should expect to see an improvement in pay by July 2023. In the meantime, the move towards better pay and improved rights on the job is a positive development for an agency that has long been plagued by low retention, high turnover, and difficulties in attracting employees.
While there is still work to be done, the increase in funding in the 2023 budget and the Administrator’s recent determination to improve our rights on the job shows that the issues we face are finally being taken seriously by our elected officials and the TSA Administrator.
Thank you for your commitment to fighting for the pay and workplace rights that TSOs deserve.
In Solidarity,
Everett Kelley
AFGE National President
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