Thanksgiving AFGE Council 100-2024

AFGE Council 100 – Thanksgiving 2024

At a time of uncertainty of what the future holds for federal employees, more specifically TSA
employees, we must focus on what has grounded us, what has provided us the tenacity to persevere during times of struggle, and what has made us who we are in our time with TSA. Despite the seemingly unclear direction we are headed towards, through all we have endured since our agency’s inception or our introduction to the agency, as TSA employees, we have always been steadfast, resolute, and clear-eyed in the face of constant adversity.
During the initial years of TSA, AFGE fought for the right to organize TSA employees into the union
despite strong opposition. In the early 2010s, we fought for and won union representational exclusivity; later securing our first-ever collective bargaining agreement. When some of our major airports, like Sacramento and Orlando, faced real threats of privatization we strategized with each other, organized with our allies, and immobilized our oppressors to maintain these airports’ federalized status.
On November 1, 2013, the first TSA Officer to die in the line of duty, Gerardo Hernandez, was shot and killed, and two other TSA Officers, James Speer and Tony Grigsby, including a passenger, Brian Ludmer, were shot and injured by a psychotic coward, at Los Angeles International Airport’s Terminal 3 Checkpoint. Since then, we have shortened law enforcement’s reaction time to incidents, made exterior airport perimeters safer through increased staffing, and brought heightened awareness to our workforce and the public.
When our union was under attack, over five years ago and we were on the brink of falling into the old days of severely limited rights, stagnated pay without the possibility of financial advancement, and a weakened contract, we pushed back with congressional support and our resolve, resulting in our ability to end up nearly unscathed. So, let us not consider what might be lost, rather what has been gained—and as a result, what we will do to protect all we have fought for and won.
This Thanksgiving season, let us celebrate the people who have stood by us through everything, who have comforted us when we were haggard and exhausted, who loved us when had nothing left to give: Our coworkers, friends, and families. And despite the anxiousness some may feel regarding the incoming administration, we must focus on and be grateful for the personal moments we often take for granted.
AFGE leadership is thankful for you and all you do for the United States of America and its workforce!

Thankfully,
AFGE Council 100