Union’s Statement Emphasizes Safety, Says Introduction of ICE Creates Havoc As U.S. airports suffer long security delays, flight attendant union leaders, representing more than 50,000-60,000 members, released a joint statement with two other unions demanding that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) workers be paid. “Flight Attendants will not allow the TSA and the frontline Transportation Security Officers who keep us safe to be used as pawns in this dangerous game, nor will we fly in an aviation system that doesn’t put our safety and security first,” the statement says. “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has billions of dollars in discretionary funding that could be used to pay TSOs during this partial shutdown, just like they have chosen to continue paying active-duty members of the U.S. Coast Guard. The administration has also continued to pay ICE and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents. Instead of paying TSOs, they have chosen to create havoc in our airports.
