TSA removes ID-checkpoint chairs; union fights back

The Transportation Security Administration ordered the removal of chairs from every document screening position at airports on Sept. 25, Simple Flying reports. Document screening had been one of only two TSA jobs where officers were allowed to sit. Baggage screeners at X-ray machines can still sit, because the makers of those machines recommend it.

The union is fighting the order

TSA officers are represented by the Association of Federal Government Employees, which covers more than 820,000 government workers, and the AFGE has vowed to fight back. The union says its leaders were not consulted before the policy change became public, and it has told members to contact their congressional representatives.

AFGE spokesperson Johnny Jones called the chairs “basic safety and common decency” and said they are ergonomic and safety support for officers who stand and walk on hard surfaces all day. Jones told The Guardian that member reaction to the change was about the same as the union sees during government shutdowns.

“Nobody who works a checkpoint asked for this. Nobody who flies asked for this.”

That is AFGE spokesperson Hydrick Thomas. The union has launched a website where passengers can sign a petition in support of bringing the chairs back; it had more than 1,000 signatures when Simple Flying wrote its story. The site says management's reasoning has nothing to do with airport security and that the change will hurt worker safety.

What TSA says

A TSA spokesperson gave ABC News a different framing of the same order. The spokesperson said the change reinforces both the agency's security posture and its commitment to hospitality by keeping those officers “on their feet and alert,” and that every officer has to meet fitness for duty requirements to carry out the national security job while also creating a welcoming, professional environment for travellers.

Standing is most of the job

Document screening is not the only role on its feet. Transportation security officers stand while they run hand or wand searches on passengers who do not clear the initial screening. Behavior detection officers walk through crowds watching for potential threats. Baggage screeners stand while physically searching carry-ons that an X-ray flags.

Other airport jobs work the same way, Simple Flying reports. Airline customer service and operations agents stand while checking in passengers and boarding flights. Workers sorting checked bags stand next to rotating bag belts. Gate crews stand on concrete while loading planes, often through back-to-back flights with little chance to rest.

What prolonged standing does

The National Institutes of Health says standing for long periods at work carries health risks, among them lower back and leg pain, cardiovascular problems, fatigue, discomfort and pregnancy-related outcomes. A 2002 study of professional hairdressers found back, neck and shoulder pain was common among workers who reported standing 82 to 99 percent of the time.

What it means for your next trip

Nothing about the screening rules you follow has changed. The chairs belonged to the officers checking your ID, not to passengers waiting in line.

There is context worth carrying into the checkpoint. For 76 days in February and March this year, TSA employees worked without pay during a prolonged government shutdown. Security lines snarled at airports across the US as officers called out, unable to afford working for free, and hundreds quit or resigned. Backpay came later for the time worked.

The union's petition is aimed at passengers, and its members are being pointed toward Congress. Both sides are describing the same podium, and on your next trip you will stand on the other side of it.

• AFGE
• airport security
• checkpoints
• government shutdown
• TSA