TSA officers now not allowed to sit down while checking boarding passes and IDs, union says

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Airport security employees checking boarding passes and IDs at airports will no longer be allowed to sit down while working, according to the union representing them.

The Transportation Security Administration will remove all chairs at the travel document checker positions at the entrance to checkpoints, according to the American Federation of Government Employees TSA Council 100.

The move comes nearly two months after TSA Administrator David Cummins was confirmed to lead the agency.

“These chairs serve as basic ergonomic and safety support for officers that stand and walk on hard surfaces all day,” the AFGE Council 100 statement read. “TSA is treating this matter like it is a privilege – it is not; it is basic safety and common decency for the workforce.”

CNN has reached out to TSA and the Department of Homeland Security for more information about the change.

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The removal of chairs the union said, has already begun in most commercial airports. Workers first started finding out about the change on Friday afternoon, but there was no formal notification to AFGE or any of its local chapters, according to one union leader.

As TSA approaches the 25th anniversary of its founding in November, Cummins has held meetings to “rapidly advance key strategic initiatives,” as part of a program dubbed Horizon 25.

“TSA does not have to choose between a secure checkpoint, an efficient checkpoint, and an elevated passenger experience,” he said in a statement announcing the initiative.

The program includes expanding TSA PreCheck, rolling out new technology, privatizing some checkpoints and “improving the passenger experience.” It’s not clear if requiring officers to stand while checking documents relates to this overhaul.

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代表机场安检人员的工会表示，机场安检人员在检查登机牌和身份证件时将不再被允许坐下。

据美国政府雇员联合会 TSA 理事会 100 称，运输安全管理局将移除安检入口处旅行证件检查员位置的所有椅子。

此举距离美国运输安全管理局局长戴维·卡明斯被确认领导该机构已近两个月。

美国联邦雇员联合会第100理事会发表声明称：“这些椅子为整天在坚硬地面上站立和行走的安保人员提供基本的符合人体工程学和安全保障。美国运输安全管理局（TSA）把这件事当成特权——事实并非如此；这是保障员工基本安全和应有的体面。”

CNN已联系美国运输安全管理局和国土安全部，以获取有关此次变更的更多信息。

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工会表示，大多数商业机场已经开始移除座椅。据一位工会领导人透露，工人们周五下午才开始得知这一变化，但美国政府雇员联合会（AFGE）及其任何地方分会均未收到正式通知。

随着美国运输安全管理局 (TSA) 即将迎来其成立 25 周年纪念日（11 月），康明斯公司召开会议，以“快速推进关键战略举措”，这是名为“地平线 25”计划的一部分。

他在宣布这项举措的声明中表示：“美国运输安全管理局不必在安全的安检点、高效的安检点和提升乘客体验之间做出选择。”

该计划包括扩大TSA预检计划、推广新技术、将部分安检点私有化以及“改善乘客体验”。目前尚不清楚要求安检人员在检查证件时必须站立是否与此次改革有关。