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Against Giants Labor Advocates
News and Analysis

News and Analysis

Primary-source analysis of TSA privatization, workforce policy, and the documents shaping the checkpoint. Every claim traces to a federal record.

Policy Analysis One Company Is Hiring at All Three Gold+ Airports On August 3, one IDIQ holder posted site leadership roles for Tampa, Des Moines, and Charleston. Same day, sequential requisition numbers, identical descriptions. No award has been announced. The job description names the workforce, assigns the right of first refusal to the contractor, and describes compensation in statutory terms. August 6, 2026 Policy Analysis How a TSA Administrator Actually Gets Confirmed Officers asked what the nomination coverage actually means and when it becomes real. This walks the process: committee referral, hearings, written questions for the record, the 2025 rules change that accelerated floor votes, and why the office has been filled by statute rather than confirmation since January 2025. August 1, 2026 Policy Analysis The Cummins Hearings: What Was Asked, What Was Not, and One Number Worth Checking The TSA nominee appeared twice. Privatization was absent from one record and central to the other. His claim that SPP entry pay at Kansas City exceeds federal pay holds on total compensation and not on the wage. The three recusal questions from our April piece remain unasked. July 31, 2026 Policy Analysis You Have Three Numbers. Only One of Them Is Your Paycheck. When an officer asks what a contractor will pay, the answer is often not a wage. TSA measures compliance against total hourly compensation, a blend of wage and benefits. The contractor advertises both figures separately. Only one of them lands in a bank account, and the four questions to ask are specific. July 29, 2026 Policy Analysis The Word Is Parity. TSA Already Argued to the GAO That It Is Not. TSA is selling Gold+ to officers with one word: parity. But in a GAO bid protest, TSA argued successfully that the law requires only a minimum floor, one the agency designed and won the right to set at entry level, regardless of the career an officer brings. Before a town hall tells you your pay will be matched, this is what the word actually means. July 27, 2026 Policy Analysis Start Here: What Is Happening, and Where to Read About It Three airports are converting to TSA Gold+. Des Moines and Tampa were notified July 20, Charleston July 22, with town halls underway. If you are new here, this is the map: what the program is, what it means for your job, what TSA told the bidders, and the technology being built around the checkpoint. July 22, 2026 AG Announcement TSA Is Handing Separating Officers a Benefits Summary. Three Decisions in It Can Cost You. Officers at converting airports are receiving TSA's Benefits Summary for Separating Employees. It is accurate, but it is a general document and your situation is not general. Three decisions in it, the timing of your separation, the retirement thresholds, and the FEHB five-year clock, turn on your own numbers and can be costly or permanent. July 22, 2026 Policy Analysis TSA Told the Vendors What It Plans to Do With AI On July 17, TSA answered a vendor question about its AI roadmap in one paragraph. Four of the capabilities it named touch the specific things an officer does: reading the image, being scheduled, being trained, and following procedure. The clearest statement of where the agency intends to take this technology was written for vendors, not for the workforce. July 21, 2026 Policy Analysis Inside the Firm That Builds Nearly Every TSA Checkpoint One company has integrated the screening systems at every Category X airport and more than 92 percent of all TSA-regulated airports. Its leadership is drawn from the TSA offices that decided which checkpoint technologies the agency would pursue. Against Giants lays out who designs the checkpoint, and where their own documents point it. July 20, 2026 Legislative Update The Fee Diversion Bill Is Not What You Think It Is H.R. 8770 passed the House unanimously with SAFEGUARDS in the title and press releases describing it as ending the fee diversion. It does not end the diversion. It creates two funds that only receive money if the diversion ends first, starting in FY2028, and the diversion was never the whole problem anyway. July 18, 2026 Policy Analysis It Is Not a Recompete A bidder asked TSA whether the Gold+ work was already being performed by someone else. TSA answered in one sentence: this is a brand new requirement and the potential airports currently have federal staff. The program is not aimed at the airports that already went private. It is aimed at the ones that did not. July 16, 2026 Policy Analysis No Number: What TSA Told the Bidders About Staffing On July 10 and July 14, TSA published its written answers to the companies bidding on Gold+. The bidders asked whether they could reduce staff to meet the price ceiling. TSA said it will not prescribe a staffing model, and that efficiencies are acceptable and can be beneficial. Your pay rate is protected. The number of positions is not. July 16, 2026 Policy Analysis The Checkpoint as a Product: What Gold+ Measures and Why Airports Are Listening The Gold+ contract scores Command Presence, customer satisfaction, passenger trust, wait times, and image interpretation accuracy, and ties all of it to the contractor's monthly payment. Against Giants explains what that scorecard means for airports, and what it would mean for an officer whose checkpoint converts. July 15, 2026 Policy Analysis It Is in the Appropriations Language Now The House Appropriations Committee's DHS funding bill directs TSA to study savings through private sector staffing, technologies that reduce the need for staffing, and remote screening. The privatization models are no longer only in contracting paperwork. They are in the funding process, in the committee's own words. July 10, 2026 Policy Analysis Two Timelines: The Union Case and the Gold+ Program The union could win its case and it could still not reach you. The lawsuit and the Gold+ program decide two different things on two different clocks. The lawsuit is expected to resolve in 2027. Gold+ awards are expected before September 30, 2026. Against Giants explains what each one actually decides and why the timing gap is the problem. July 9, 2026 Policy Analysis One Career, Both Sides of the Checkpoint: Kevin McAleenan The second entry in the series. McAleenan served as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, overseeing TSA and the full DHS enterprise. He then founded Pangiam and now leads BigBear.ai, an AI company targeting the aviation and identity markets that screening modernization reshapes. The same company where the current acting TSA administrator worked before returning to government. July 8, 2026 Policy Analysis One Career, Both Sides of the Checkpoint: Lee Kair Lee Kair ran TSA's procurement as its Chief Procurement Executive, ran nationwide security operations, and directed the federal checkpoint at Tampa International Airport. He now co-manages Gigaplex, the private remote screening technology positioned around Gold+. Against Giants documents the career from public sources. The conclusions belong to the reader. July 6, 2026 AG Announcement What the Gold+ Contract Means for You: An Officer's Guide TSA published the binding Gold+ solicitation on June 24. Bids are due July 31. Against Giants walks through what the contract actually says about your right of first refusal, your pay floor, the performance metrics tied to company revenue, and what happens if the contractor fails, in the contract's own words. June 26, 2026 AG Announcement Why the First Gold+ Airport Will Not Convert Overnight When the first Gold+ airports are named, it will feel sudden. Bid protests and the operational calendar mean the actual transition will likely take much longer than the announcement suggests. That time is not a reason to wait. It is the moment to know your numbers before any paperwork lands. June 16, 2026 AG Announcement Update: TSA Issues Interim Revision to Daily Fitness for Duty Directive On June 9, TSA issued an interim revision to MD 1100.33-1 clarifying that the swipe-in is not the only acceptable certification mechanism and that failure to swipe in does not by itself indicate unfitness. The impairment definition, statutory basis, AWOL pathway, and escalation process are all unchanged. June 11, 2026 AG Announcement Court Update: AFGE v. Mullin Scheduling Order, June 3, 2026 The September 2026 trial date has been struck. A trial is unlikely before late 2027. The preliminary injunction protecting the 2024 CBA remains in place. Separately, TSA's Gold+ procurement authority is unaffected by the court's timeline. First airport announcements are expected soon. June 8, 2026 AG Announcement TSA's Daily Fitness for Duty Requirement: What Your Swipe-In Actually Means Effective May 4, the swipe-in at the start of every shift is now an explicit daily certification that you are fit for duty consistent with the Medical and Psychological Guidelines. Against Giants explains what the impairment definition covers, what happens when the daily process escalates, and what collective bargaining can and cannot change. June 8, 2026 Policy Analysis DHS Budget Testimony: What It Says About TSA Secretary Mullin's prepared testimony to both chambers states that the FY2027 budget "begins TSA privatization." Against Giants reviews what the testimony says, what happened during the hearings, and what Mullin's posture on federal court orders means for TSA officers whose collective bargaining agreement exists under injunction. June 4, 2026 Policy Analysis What the Government Is Giving Away The Transportation Security Laboratory already holds 74 terabytes of checkpoint X-ray data and 30 terabytes of body scanner data. Under the draft Screening System Data Sharing Consortium agreement, private companies use that data to build threat detection algorithms they will own. The government keeps no ownership stake. The public comment deadline is June 17, 2026. June 2026 Policy Analysis The Checkpoint Being Built Around You The equipment is being donated. The network is being built. The algorithms are being developed with government data that the government will not own. And a new DHS draft agreement published May 18 closes the last gap in the architecture. The public comment deadline is June 17, 2026. Against Giants explains every piece and what it means for the officers it affects. May 29, 2026 AG Announcement What a Not Medically Qualified Determination Actually Means: The Process Officers Need to Know A Not Medically Qualified determination initiates a specific administrative process most officers have never seen. Against Giants explains the disability eligibility gate, what the Job Search Program actually provides, the seven-day acceptance window for job offers, the disability retirement option, and how OWCP claims intersect with the process. May 22, 2026 AG Announcement What TSA Said at Industry Day: A Full Briefing for the Officers We Serve Against Giants Labor Advocates attended TSA's Gold+ Industry Day as a registered participant today. This comprehensive briefing covers what TSA confirmed on the record about workforce transitions, pay protections, training requirements, the new checkpoint, and the timeline for the first airport announcements in mid-June.

This briefing is available to Against Giants clients. Become a client to access it.

AG Announcement May 20, 2026

Your Federal Health Insurance and the Privatization Question: What TSA Officers Should Know

Officers are asking what happens to their FEHB coverage if their airport converts to private screening. Against Giants explains the five-year retirement rule, what counts toward it, what a Gold+ or SPP transition means for enrollment, and what officers can do now before a coverage gap becomes a permanent loss. May 21, 2026 AG Announcement Your Federal Health Insurance and the Privatization Question: What TSA Officers Should Know Officers are asking what happens to their FEHB coverage if their airport converts to private screening. Against Giants explains the five-year retirement rule, what counts toward it, what a Gold+ or SPP transition means for enrollment, and what officers can do now before a coverage gap becomes a permanent loss. May 20, 2026 AG Announcement Unsupported: The Mounting Pressures on America's TSA Workforce Two funding lapses. New medical certification obligations. A privatization architecture being built without the workforce's knowledge. Against Giants documents the compounding pressures on TSA officers and announces plans to bring direct community support resources to officers at their airports. May 19, 2026 Policy Analysis TSA Published Gold+ Contract Requirements the Morning After Announcing the Program to Its Workforce The gap between TSA's workforce announcement and the publication of draft contract documents was less than 24 hours. The draft requires contractors to match or beat federal labor costs with no guaranteed workforce protections, classifies security performance standards, mandates remote image review as a baseline requirement, and requires a 180-day escrow account in case the contractor fails. May 15, 2026 Policy Analysis TSA Announces Gold+ Program to Workforce and Public. Against Giants Documented It Nine Months Ago. This morning TSA sent a broadcast to every employee announcing Gold+ and launched tsa.gov/goldplus. Against Giants has been documenting this program through federal procurement records since August 2025. The program was disclosed to industry lobbyists before Congress or the workforce. Against Giants examines what TSA said today and what the record actually shows. May 14, 2026 Policy Analysis The Company Selling TSA's Future Won Its Largest Contract First A director from VMD Corp was confirmed on the Gold+ panel in Chicago. VMD is TSA's largest confirmed private screening contractor by contract value, holds a stake in the remote screening technology Gold+ requires, and published marketing materials in March 2026 describing a workforce protection that TSA deleted from the new IDIQ the same month. Against Giants examines the full record. April 2026, updated May 14, 2026 AG Announcement TSA's Revised FMLA Recertification Rules: What Officers Need to Know In February 2026, TSA quietly amended its FMLA recertification rules, shifting documentation costs onto officers and adding a TSA-initiated trigger that is broadly defined and undefined in the policy documents. Combined with the Annual Medical Certification program, officers on approved FMLA leave face a new compliance landscape. May 13, 2026 AG Announcement What the Revised Directives Mean for Officers: A Follow-Up to Our May 8 Analysis Implementation is already underway. Officers at one airport received instructions on May 8 with a June 13 deadline. There are two separate deadlines officers need to know: 15 days to complete the questionnaire, 30 days to respond to a documentation request. Missing either carries the same consequence. May 9, 2026 AG Announcement TSA Just Activated a Medical Certification Program. Here Is What Officers Need to Know. On May 4, TSA activated its Annual Medical Certification program under MD 1100.33-4. Officers have 30 days to respond to documentation requests. Missing that deadline regardless of your actual health can result in a finding of Not Medically Qualified. Against Giants explains what the standards cover and what to do now. May 8, 2026 Policy Analysis The Checkpoint of the Future: What TSA's Own Documents Show A former TSA senior advisor this week described Gold+ as "no longer theoretical" in a public article advising airports on adoption. He is now employed by a private screening technology company. Four days earlier, TSA published a procurement document listing "reduce manpower requirements at the checkpoint" as an official objective. None of it has been disclosed to Congress. May 7, 2026 Policy Analysis Who Pays for the Checkpoint of the Future? Miami-Dade County voted to spend $35.8 million on new screening equipment for MIA and transfer ownership to TSA. That arrangement has a name: the Capability Acceptance Process. It has been operating for years, has bipartisan congressional awareness, and has never been discussed in the context of Gold+ in any public forum. May 6, 2026 AG Announcement TSA Announces Agency-Wide Realignment as Privatization Architecture Takes Shape On April 30, McNeill announced a headquarters reorganization effective May 4, establishing a new Technology and Systems pillar that consolidates TSA's remote screening, AI checkpoint, and e-gate programs. The announcement came nine days after TSA Gold+ received its first national media coverage. May 1, 2026 Policy Analysis Gigaplex, Gold+, and the Technology Behind the Checkpoint of the Future Understanding what TSA Gold+ would look like in practice requires understanding the technology that makes it operationally viable. Against Giants examines Gigaplex, the remote screening system developed with DHS funding, whose joint venture owners include TSA's largest private screening contractor. April 28, 2026 Policy Analysis What Private Contractor Screeners Are Actually Paid, and Why It Matters Now As the administration moves to expand private screening, TSA officers are asking what contractor screeners actually earn. Against Giants examines the statutory pay floor, what current job postings show, the SFO pay dispute, and what Gold+ means for worker protections going forward. April 27, 2026 Policy Analysis Who Is David Cummins? What the TSA Administrator Nomination Means for the Federal Screening Workforce The Trump administration has announced its intent to nominate David Cummins, Senior Vice President at Serco Inc., as TSA Administrator. Against Giants examines who Cummins is, what Serco does, and what questions his nomination raises that a Senate confirmation hearing should answer. April 24, 2026 Policy Analysis Appointed Without Confirmation: Understanding McNeill's Legal Authority at TSA Ha Nguyen McNeill has led TSA since April 2025 without Senate confirmation. Against Giants examines the statutory basis for her appointment, why it is legally defensible, and what questions about duration and accountability remain open after more than 360 days of acting service. April 22, 2026 Policy Analysis TSA Gold+: The Privatization Program Congress Was Not Told About While TSA officers worked without pay for more than 100 days, TSA was quietly developing and marketing a new privatization program to airport operators. Against Giants documented the program from federal records. Federal News Network published the findings on April 21, 2026. April 20, 2026 Legislative Update Two Bills. One Problem. No Movement. Two pieces of legislation directly relevant to TSA officers have been introduced in the House this fiscal year. H.R. 7137 would guarantee pay during any funding lapse. H.R. 7941 would remove TSA from the appropriations crisis mechanism entirely by establishing a dedicated trust fund. Neither has moved beyond committee referral. April 19, 2026 Policy Analysis If Your Airport Goes SPP: What TSA Officers Need to Know About Severance Pay The Trump administration's FY2027 budget proposal would require all category III and IV airports to enroll in the Screening Partnership Program, eliminating an estimated 4,528 federal TSO positions. Against Giants breaks down severance eligibility, the reasonable offer standard, how the payout is calculated, and what officers should do right now to protect themselves. April 16, 2026 AG Announcement Congressional Visits: AG-Coordinated Airport Engagements in FY2026 Against Giants coordinated six direct visits between members of Congress and TSA officers at Virginia airports throughout the FY2026 DHS funding lapse. Representatives Bobby Scott, Rob Wittman, Jennifer McClellan, and Jen Kiggans came directly to the workforce. These are the visits we made happen. FY2026

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