Bush Can’t Take Away Screeners’ Free Speech Rights—Drive for Workers’ Rights Alive and Well

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2007/09/10/bush-cant-take-away-screeners-free-speech-rightsdrive-for-workers-rights-alive-and-well/

by Mike Hall, Sep 10, 2007

Last week, the fight by the nation’s airport screeners to win a voice at work took a step forward. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit reversed a lower court’s ruling that the court had no jurisdiction to hear a suit, brought by AFGE, challenging on First Amendment grounds the termination of a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport screener for pro-union activities.

The appellate court also reversed the lower court’s ruling that AFGE had no standing to sue on behalf of the worker—a vocal union activist in Oakland, Calif., who had communicated his complaint about baggage screening practices to the union. Six days later he was fired.

In 2003, the Bush administration terminated the collective bargaining rights of some 43,000 TSA screeners over alleged “national security” concerns. At the time, screeners at several airports were organizing with AFGE.

The Court of Appeals, in its ruling, said:

the fact that the TSA has banned collective bargaining does not mean that a union…has no meaningful function; nor does it mean that the TSA has free reign to retaliate against screeners who speak in favor of collective bargaining rights.

In other words, says Sharon Pinnock, AFGE’s director of membership and organization:

TSA can’t take away their right to free speech.

FULL stroy at link.