{"id":25895,"date":"2023-07-27T17:48:59","date_gmt":"2023-07-27T17:48:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/07\/27\/tens-of-thousands-of-tsa-workers-get-largest-pay-raise-in-decades\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:08:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:08:35","slug":"tens-of-thousands-of-tsa-workers-get-largest-pay-raise-in-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/federaltimes\/management\/pay-benefits\/2023\/07\/27\/tens-of-thousands-of-tsa-workers-get-largest-pay-raise-in-decades\/","title":{"rendered":"Tens of thousands of TSA workers get largest pay raise in decades"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Workers for the Transportation Security Administration, including the 50,000 uniformed officers who screen travelers and bags at U.S. airports, will get up to a 31% pay increase, among the largest in agency history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December, as part of this year\u2019s omnibus funding package,<\/a> the agency secured funding to carry out multiple personnel improvements, including pay increases and fully collective bargaining rights for employees. The raises officially appeared in paychecks this month, and lawmakers, labor representatives and agency officials met at Ronald Reagan Airport on July 27 in Washington, D.C., to commemorate it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pay raise has been long overdue. TSA officers in particular have been paid nearly a third<\/a> less than colleagues in similar positions in the rest of government, according to an agency statement. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis funding represents by far the biggest advancement for the workforce in TSA\u2019s history,\u201d said Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Democrat from Mississippi. <\/a>\u201cIn fact, it\u2019s the largest federal pay bump in the last 30 years, and probably ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the long term, preserving this change may help the agency stave off attrition, which historically has been higher than average for TSA employees than for the rest of government. Thompson said he\u2019ll be working with other members of Congress to ensure this funding continues into next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy plea is we continue to support the President\u2019s budget to fully fund this in fiscal 2024,\u201d said TSA Administrator David Pekoske said Thursday. He noted that as travel has ramped up from the pandemic, the pay raise was critical to ensuring there was a ready workforce to accommodate the increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agency has seen its applications for open positions increase by 30% and attrition decrease by 60% since the beginning of fiscal 2023, which ends Sept. 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\t