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Airport security screening officers, forced to work without pay during the government's closure, appealed for the disease. But now, crazy workers like hell are leaving their jobs.
This is what union officials representing officials of the Transportation Safety Administration say, who will miss their first salary since the government will block a budget and a border on December 22. wall impasse.
"Some of them have already resigned and many are considering resigning from the federal workforce because of this closure," said Hydrick Thomas, chairman of the board of the American Federation of Government Employees (TSA), in a statement on Tuesday. ] "The shortage of officers, even though we are already in short supply, will create a huge security risk for US travelers because we do not have enough trainees or the ability to handle new employees. Our TSOs are already doing outstanding work without the appropriate staffing levels, but if this continues, there will be problems, the least of which will be an increase in waiting times for travelers. "
Security guards regarded as essential employees, whether paid or unpaid, some called for sick, protest or other employment.
TSA employee JFK's New York International Airport told the Daily Beast that at least 15 of his colleagues had been calling since the start of the closure on December 22. – and he could be next.
"Listen, I love my job and I am willing to work for free because everyone in Washington is settling everything," said the worker, who has been in the job for about a year, asked to remain anonymous.
"But how long will it take for me to have a newborn," he said, "I can barely afford to miss this pay period, I do not want to lose my job, but I do not want to lose my apartment either, you know? "
Illness nightmarish lines at some airports last week-end. Administration officials downplayed the impact of this incident, and Homeland Security spokesperson Tyler Houlton tweeted that reports of absent workers were " false news "- congratulations from President Trump .
But two groups representing the aviation industry say the threat of closure to safety and mental health is all too real. A pilots' union and an organization representing hundreds of airports called on Washington this week to put the government back to work.
"The significant reduction in federal operations as part of the closure is already causing many problems at airports in our country," Airport Council. International-North America wrote in a letter to President Trump and congressional leaders on Tuesday.
The group, the pressure arm of the country's commercial airports, talked about longer wait times at Security Security Administration checkpoints and customs entry and protection points. borders, employees of the Federal Aviation Administration overworked.
"Passengers and cargo will likely face longer processing times at closure due to staffing shortages," the letter says, noting that FAA leave means "no one will be there to develop and approve improved flight procedures, install and maintain aids to navigation and an air traffic control system ems, coordinate the review of new or expanded airport capital applications, or hire and train new air traffic controllers. "
And the Air Line Pilots Association said in a letter to Trump that the closure" had adverse consequences for safety, The union said that a reduced number of inspections because of the Staff shortage would potentially introduce safety issues endangering passengers and aircrew.
An increase in the number of recreational UAVs with fewer workers to suppress them could cause problems and delays, the association said. And the closure has also hindered the establishment of a new communication system and could force a major reconversion.
The long waiting lines at some major airports over the weekend had dissipated early in the work week. Waiting times appeared to be pretty normal at JFK and LaGuardia in New York and at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Monday and Tuesday
but passengers were still under the spell of chaos, adding a new element of uncertainty and anxiety to their journey.
Stanley Anderson, 52, on Tuesday at the LaGuardia Terminal B security checkpoint, said the branch lines are just "calm before the storm".
"This problem can not improve under shutdown, no? While everything is working well this morning, it's only a matter of time before a disaster happens." , told The Daily Beast, insurance agent, traveling to Cincinnati, Ohio.
"All I can say if I do not want to travel when that happens."
Another Passenger took a flight with JFK six hours in advance.
"My daughter missed her flight on the weekend because a long line of security and I refused to let myself go because the politicians can not act to pay the TSA agents and put an end to this closure, "said the traveler, a 65-year-old man who said his name was Brian. 19659002] "People in Washington do not realize that their actions affect others. People at this airport are not paid to do their jobs, forcing people like me to spend their holidays waiting around the airport, "he said.
Paul Hudson, president of Flyers Rights, a rights organization for passengers, who said that even though the delays due to the closure "have been isolated to a negligible level" until now, the Problems will only worsen if the closure continues beyond Friday's paycheck, at which time some workers may have to seek treatment or leave for another job. 19659002] And, Hudson added, "when meteorological events or computer failures occur, the DOT's consumer protection, investigation and enforcement offices for aviation are up and running. not report to work.
"There is therefore no real application in real time. "
As the government's closure dragged on in its third week and there was no immediate end, overworked TSA agents struggled to be motivated.
asked how she felt about closing, a TSA to Reagan's man smiled and peeked in. "That's my answer."
"How would you feel if you had to work and you did not know when you would be paid? ", she added.
" I'm not optimistic, "a TSA agent man at Reagan added." Just do something I'm here anyway.
An agent at LaGuardia, TSA, said the problem was not that the existing agents were overworked, they did not have enough corpses in case
"We are trained to handle several jobs in the event of staff shortages, but what happens if there is another major holiday or Does a storm that blocks the flights? We are not prepared for a situation other than a normal day's work, "said the officer, a mother of two.
The TSA insisted that no one was at risk.
"The effectiveness of security will not be compromised and the performance standards will not change," announced the agency in a tweet Friday . "Wait times can be assigned based on the number of calls received."
"We understand that the current lack of funding can create additional stress for our workforce and We wish to continue to express our gratitude to the more than 51,000 Michael Bilello, spokesman for the agency, added Tuesday
.
The Federal Aviation Administration told CBS on Monday that security inspectors at some airports were being recalled working "on a case-by-case basis".
"We will continue to prioritize with the resources we have," said FAA spokesman Gregory Martin. "We focus on commercial air carriers and the number of passengers they carry."
AFGE union officials did not specify how many workers in the TSA had called people who were sick or had quit smoking – but it did incite their members to be paid to stay at work.
"TSA officers already have the least rights as a federal officer, some of the lowest wages and the highest attrition rates of the government and one of the lowest morale of all. federal agencies. Working for weeks without pay – even if it is already understaffed – only worsens their situation, "union president J. David Cox Sr. said in a statement.
"It's very disheartening to receive calls from workers who are worried about not being able to pay their bills or their rent, and it's killing me to tell them that there may not be any." end in sight. They have joined the federal workforce to serve their country and they are doing an admirable job. "
The Daily Beast contacted TSA to comment on this story and received an e-mail from Spokesperson Lisa Fabstein, who explained that because of the" failure of federal funding, she would not respond. " to requests for information "that after adopted. "
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