United Nations to United States: Unionize Airport Screeners
“Millions of people living in countries that belong to the United Nations work in abysmal, unsafe and inhumane conditions that most Americans can’t imagine and wouldn’t tolerate. Yet rather than focusing on these problems, the U.N.’s International Labor Office last week turned its attention to the hardships and deprivations suffered by one group of American workers – the beleaguered airport baggage screener,” writes the Orange County (California) Register.
Pointing out that the “American Federation of Government Employees – a union whose clout and membership grows as government grows” petitioned the U.N. – the U.N. ruled that 56,000 Transportation Security Administration baggage screeners should be forced into union collectives.
This probably surprised members of Congress, who prohibited the monopoly unionization of TSA workers when they passed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, which federalized airport security for several reasons, most notably – national security.
“The U.N. edict is unenforceable, thankfully, as are most handed down by the world body. At least for the time being, Americans still make U.S. labor law. But it’s typical of the U.N. to point an accusing finger at the United States for our alleged rights violations, while situations far worse prevail in most U.N.-member countries.
The U.N. evidently hopes the sheer weight of its ‘moral authority’ . . . will give a lift to AFGE’s relentless push to forcibly unionize TSA workers. But most Americans understand that handing over federal airport screeners to big labor bosses would be a disaster, for fiscal and security reasons. ‘Given the critical national security mission of our security officers, collective bargaining is not appropriate,’ said TSA spokesman Darrin Kayser.”
Let’s see whether the new Congress puts U.S. national security before U.N. dictates and Union demands when this issue is addressed. Mark us down as pessimistic.