TSA Plans to Hand Security Screening to Private Contractors at Three Airports

The TSA informed the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) last month of plans to launch the TSA Gold+ program, which would hand security and screening technology control to private contractors at airports in Tampa, Charleston, and Des Moines. Union workers would lose their contract and benefits under the takeover. AFGE national president Everett Kelley called the move a major step backward from the system Congress created after the September 11, 2001 attacks and the 1988 Pan Am 103 bombing, and said changes of this magnitude should not be made behind closed doors.

The union is reviewing legal options. Chris Finlay, a Tampa TSA worker and AFGE local 556 president, recalled a Florida airport where a private contractor cut pay weeks after taking over screening 12 years ago, and noted a 2015 incident where a contractor employee was fired after reporting a steak knife passed through security. Finlay said private companies prioritize profit over safety. The Gold+ program expands on existing privatization efforts, with the TSA planning to eliminate about 4,500 positions as the program reaches 220 airports.