Officers across the country report that chairs have been removed from Travel Document Checker positions.
The removal appears to be nationwide, and officers at multiple airports describe the same pattern: TDC chairs gone, while chairs at other rotation positions, including x-ray and exit lane, remain in place. Officers report being told locally that the change is about professionalism.
AFGE Council 100 issued a statement on the removal. The union says it learned about the change from members in the field, not through advance notice from TSA, and states it believes the decision likely came out of a TSA headquarters working group process that did not involve the union.
Against Giants has reviewed the collective bargaining agreement provisions that apply to a change like this. Here is what the primary source record establishes.
The Ergonomic Equipment Provision
CBA Article 33, Section J.1.b, requires that TSA "provide ergonomic equipment and facilities to bargaining unit employees as appropriate," to the extent the area is within TSA's control.
Article 33, Section F, separately requires TSA to provide anti-fatigue mats "at bargaining unit employee workstations where bargaining unit employees stand in one place for extended periods of time." TDC is exactly that kind of workstation.
The Selective Nature of the Removal
Officer reports describe TDC chairs removed while x-ray and exit lane chairs remain. If that pattern holds across airports, it is worth asking what distinguishes TDC from those other rotation positions in ergonomic terms. All three are fixed workstations officers rotate through during a shift that otherwise requires continuous standing.
A selective removal, rather than a checkpoint-wide change, raises the question of what safety or operational basis explains treating TDC differently.
The Notification Requirement
CBA Article 9, Section F, requires that when management makes a determination "to modify an existing facility or work area," it must notify the AFGE Local President or designee "in advance of a plan for an infrastructure project over $1,000.00 which substantially affects the working conditions of bargaining unit employees," and the union must have an opportunity to review and provide input.
Whether a nationwide chair removal meets that dollar threshold is not something Against Giants can confirm, and the term "infrastructure project" may or may not extend to removing furniture rather than modifying the physical space itself. That threshold question does not affect the separate notification requirement under Article 13.
CBA Article 13, Section D, governs impact and implementation bargaining for changes that affect personnel policies, practices, or working conditions of bargaining unit employees at the national level. Under that Article, TSA is required to notify the Council President of a proposed change, and the union then has fifteen calendar days to invoke bargaining.
Council 100's statement says the union learned about this from the field rather than from TSA. That is a claim about being excluded from the process that produced the decision. Whether TSA separately provided the formal written notice required under Article 9 or Article 13 once the decision was made is a distinct question the union's statement does not directly answer, and Against Giants has not independently confirmed the answer either way.
What Officers Should Do
Officers who have questions about how this change affects them, particularly officers managing a medical condition that affects standing, should understand that a workstation change like this can intersect with the reasonable accommodation process and with fitness for duty requirements. Against Giants will address that intersection in a follow-up piece.
Officers who want to document their own experience with this change, including when it happened at their airport and what they were told about it, should keep a written record.
Contact Against Giants with questions about how this or any other workplace change affects your specific situation. againstgiantsllc.com/get-help.html or info@againstgiantsllc.com