TSA union withstands government attempt to end contract but 'instability' is new norm for airport security workers

The Department of Homeland Security’s repeated efforts to revoke the union contract for Transportation Security Administration officers have created ongoing instability for workers at the airport security agency, local TSA officers said.

Last week, a federal judge in Portland reaffirmed the legality of a preliminary injunction preventing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem from ending a collective bargaining agreement covering about 47,000 TSA officers nationwide, according to Courthouse News Service.

Since last year, TSA officers, responsible for screening air travel passengers and safeguarding the skies in the wake of 9/11, have faced continued attacks against their union from President Donald Trump's administration. And while local and national union officials say the contract remains in place for now, the possibility of another government shutdown later this month has added to uncertainty in the workplace.

The Jan. 15 court ruling marked the second time a federal judge has blocked the government’s attempt to terminate the multiyear labor agreement ratified in 2024.

DHS officials did not respond to requests for comment.

On Feb. 27 of last year, Noem moved to end the contract, sending a memo to TSA Chief of Staff Adam Stahl notifying him of the decision, according to documents obtained by Newsday. In March, the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA officers, filed suit to stop the action. A federal judge in Seattle issued a preliminary injunction in June halting the effort. In September, DHS again announced plans to remove the contract in January, leading to last week’s ruling.

Noem and the DHS have cited safety as the reason behind attempts to remove the union contract, saying in a March 7 news release that collective bargaining has "constrained TSA’s chief mission: to safeguard our transportation systems and keep Americans safe."

Labor law experts said the Trump administration’s actions against unionized federal workers are unprecedented. Federal agencies including the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Defense and the National Weather Service have had union rights stripped by executive order, according to the White House.

"It’s never happened before," said Cathy Creighton, director of Cornell University’s Industrial Labor Relations Buffalo Co-Lab, a research organization focused on public policies that advances economic equity. “To just wholesale withdraw collective bargaining rights and contracts ... it leaves you just dumbfounded."

Creighton, a former labor attorney with the National Labor Relations Board, said the Trump administration’s actions affect nearly 1 million federal workers and send a broader message nationwide.

"It sends a message to all employers that they don’t have to follow labor law," she said.

David Gonzalez, national vice president for AFGE District 2, said the Trump administration is engaging in "union busting" and that the union will continue to fight efforts to eliminate collective bargaining.

Local TSA employees said the prolonged conflict has created frustration among officers.

Thomas Schoregge, 46, a TSA employee and former regional vice president for local TSA workers, said many officers feel there is "too much instability under the federal government."

Following last year’s historic 43-day federal government shutdown, he said officers suffered serious financial harm.

"At the end of the day, the creditors don’t care if you were under a shutdown," said Schoregge, a Copiague resident.

Schoregge said he believes the federal government will continue trying to eliminate collective bargaining rights for TSA officers.

"We know for a fact that the agency is not going to stop," he said.