Copyright The Boston Herald
Union officials representing TSA workers and Logan airport representatives debunked viral rumors of a work stoppage Monday, as the government shutdown continues to impact TSA employees pay and air travel around the country. “We have not heard anything about a TSA strike,” said Massport spokesperson Benjamin Crawley on Monday. “We are in close contact with our federal partners and meet with them daily.” A viral Reddit post Sunday claimed a person at the Atlanta airport stated “TSA are telling people they are all striking,” stirring speculation about a potential work stoppage. For nearly three weeks of the current government shutdown that began Oct. 1, federal TSA workers have been required to report for work but have not been paid. However, the American Federation of Government Employees union representing the TSA workers said they do “not support strikes and would never call for our members to delay essential services the American people depend on.” Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), which make up the majority of the TSA, are represented by the AFGE union. Though the Department of Homeland security ended TSOs right to collective bargaining in March, the AFGE continues to represent around 47,000 nationwide. “AFGE members at TSA are dedicated to ensuring that the traveling public are safe in airports and in the skies,” said AFGE Director of Communications Brittany Holder. AAA Northeast spokesperson Mark Schieldrop said Monday though he could not comment on the strike rumor, “what I can say is that we are seeing some impacts already due to the shutdown with longer wait times during busy periods and flight delays, particularly at hub airports.” Schieldrop added a “strike could be extremely disruptive for air travel, no question.” The flight tracker service FlightAware reported just over 70 flights out, into or within the U.S. cancelled as of about 6 p.m. Monday, and just over 5,000 delayed. The reports remained close to the same range as delays and cancellations Sunday. Boston topped a list of U.S. airport hubs with the most delays and cancellations Monday afternoon, with 85 delayed flights and 7 cancelled flights between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., according to FlightAware data. Departures were delayed an average of 40 minutes Monday. Chicago O’Hare airport ranked second among the hubs, with 91 delayed and 1 cancelled, FlightAware showed. In a shutdown update posted Oct. 14, AFGE detailed efforts to get politicians to reopen the government immediately, block mass firings threatened during the shutdown, demand assurances federal furloughed workers will receive pay, and protect federal workers financially during the shutdown. “Let me start with a simple truth: every day this government stays shut down, real people are hurting,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in the statement. “So today, I call on leaders from both parties to sit down together, work out your differences, and find a solution that reflects the best of America, just like federal employees do every single day.”
