Message from the National President

Dear TSA Employee,

Earlier today, I sent a letter to TSA Acting Administrator Gale Rossides once again urging her to reverse the agency’s “unilateral, unnecessary and callous” policies and permit employees to wear protective masks during the current public health threat. This is a follow-up to a letter I sent to the Acting Administrator almost two weeks ago, but have yet to receive a response.

In the letter, I remind Ms. Rossides that TSOs process thousands of travelers a day in closed and crowded areas. I also tell the Acting Administrator that I am pleased that guidance put forth by the Department of Homeland Security overturned TSA's blanket prohibition on employees wearing masks. That guidance requires that TSOs wear masks if they are within six feet of a traveler showing symptoms. However, the guidance fails to go far enough to allow TSOs to wear masks even if they have not encountered an apparently sick traveler.

NTEU does not believe that there are any OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) or CDC (Center for Disease Control) rules that would prevent you from wearing masks. Not only has TSA failed to give a reason for its policy, but the agency has done everything possible to obscure it by not putting anything in writing.

Finally, I tell Ms. Rossides that I plan to again inform lawmakers of employees' concerns with the agency’s inadequate policy, this time in congressional testimony. I am scheduled to testify Thursday at a House subcommittee hearing that is being held specifically to assess the response of federal agencies to the swine flu outbreak.

NTEU will continue its aggressive, multi-pronged efforts until there is a policy in place that protects you during this and future threats to health and safety.

For more information about NTEU’s efforts and swine flu, visit www.nteu.org/swineflu.aspx.