Flight attendant union fights TSA nominee over screening privatization

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA is opposing the nomination of David Cummins to lead the Transportation Security Administration, citing his support for expanding private airport security screening. Cummins previously worked for Serco, a contractor involved in private screening operations.

Roughly 20 to 22 U.S. airports currently use private screeners through the Screening Partnership Program rather than federal TSA officers, including airports in San Francisco, Kansas City and Orlando. One additional major airport was recently directed to explore switching to private screening. Cummins has advocated widening both the Screening Partnership Program and a related program known as TSA Gold+ as a way to cut federal costs.

The flight attendants' union warns that private screening contractors are not represented by the same federal employee union as TSA officers and remain shielded from government shutdown impacts, and it points to security failures before the September 11, 2001 attacks as evidence that privatized screening can produce inconsistent standards. Separately, the American Federation of Government Employees has sued TSA for withholding records related to the program's expansion.

Private airport security screening is standard practice in Europe and Canada, typically operating under government oversight and often unionized labor, in contrast to the direct federal control used for most U.S. airports.

Read the full story at insideflyer.com.