I’m sick of the TSA and haven’t written about that incompetent bureaucracy since posting a mock press release early last month.
But after enduring the slowest-moving line in recorded history at the Miami Airport yesterday, motivation is no longer a problem.
So it was serendipitous (in a bad way) to see a story in the New York Times indicating that an Obama political appointee is giving union bosses the power to represent TSA bureaucrats.
Seeking to end a debate that has brewed for nearly a decade, the director of the Transportation Security Administration announced on Friday that a union would be allowed to bargain over working conditions on behalf of the nation’s 45,000 airport security officers.
Barring some sort of miracle, this guarantees that airport security will become even more tedious and inefficient in the future. Unions are notorious for creating inflexible 
working conditions. That’s a big reason why American car companies have lost market share (the second half of this post provides a powerful example), but that’s not something the public directly experiences. Everyone who flies, however, will suffer the consequences of importing UAW-style intransigence into the world of airport security.
Added TSA incompetence might not be completely terrible news if airports had the freedom to choose a better approach. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration also recently decided to prevent additional airports from opting out of the government monopoly and choosing private companies. There are 16 airports using this more efficient approach and many other airports were about to make the switch, but that option no longer exists. Here are some of the depressing details.
TSA Administrator John Pistole also indicated TSA was eliminating the use of private screeners at airports nationwide, except for 16 that already have them in place. “Shortly after beginning as TSA Administrator, I directed a full review of TSA policies with the goal of helping the agency evolve into a more agile, high-performing organization that can meet the security threats of today and the future,” said Pistole. “As part of that review, I examined the contractor screening program and decided not to expand the program beyond the current 16 airports as I do not see any clear or substantial advantage to do so at this time.” …Springfield airport spokesman Kent Boyd said having a private company doing the security screenings gives the airport an opportunity to strengthen its customer service. “While a private company is still under the supervision of TSA, the screeners are employees of a private company,” Boyd said. “If there’s a problem, the airport can go directly to the company to seek a resolution.” He said that process “tends not to happen with the TSA.”
The funniest line in that excerpt, albeit in the form of unintentional humor, was Pistole asserting that a government monopoly system would be “more agile” than private companies. It must have been difficult for him to keep a straight face when uttering something so preposterous.
There’s nothing funny, though, about politicians and bureaucrats undermining the safety and efficiency of flying. Yet that’s the inevitable outcome of these two reprehensible decisions.
