Orlando International Airport's governing body voted Wednesday to hold off on submitting an application that would lead to privatizing security operations at the facility.
- Orlando International Airport is exploring privatizing security operations
- Airport's governing board met, postponed motion to move forward
- More than 100 TSA union members showed for packed meeting
Although the vote by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority delays submitting an application, it does not entirely stop the process.
Board members are expected to begin talking with 15 Transportation Security Administration-qualified contractors, as the board also works in the next 60 days to address outstanding issues it sees with TSA’s leadership and service.
More than 100 union members of TSA’s workforce at OIA were on hand for Wednesday’s standing-room-only meeting to petition the Board to not move forward with the process to hire private screening contractors.
The Board ultimately decided to set a 60-day deadline to work with members of Florida’s Congressional delegation to meet with TSA leadership in Washington.
“I’m taking the gloves off on this. There is a leadership problem at TSA locally,” said GOAA Chairman Frank Kruppenbacher during the meeting. He later turned to the crowd and said, “Screeners, you’re in the middle of it, but it’s not about you in the bigger picture.”
Kruppenbacher admitted that privatization is not ideal, but he and other board members, including Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, said there are issues that remain to be solved. Dyer was the only person to vote no with moving forward with this action.
Union members saw Wednesday’s vote as a direct threat to their jobs.
Orlando Airport board beginning to take up issue of whether to replace TSA workers with private screeners. pic.twitter.com/2cBwmgrC4T
— Greg Angel (@NewsGuyGreg) February 21, 2018
“Today is a sad day for working people in the greater Orlando area, and for the millions of passengers who fly through Orlando International Airport every year,” said David Cox Sr., President of American Federation of Government Employees, in a statement. “While we had hoped the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority would work with members of Congress at improving management at TSA, and would listen to the working people most affected by this vote, the board instead voted to begin the dangerous proposition of outsourcing security in Orlando.”
The proposal before the Board cited extended wait times at security checkpoints and falling customer satisfaction as reasons to consider the proposal.
But during the discussion, it was clear that there were deeper issues between the Board and local TSA management.
The Board decided to continue discussions within the next 60 days in an effort to resolve the issues. If those issues can’t be solved, the Board may then move to begin the application that could eventually allow private screeners.
Private security operations would be allowed under the Aviation and Transportation Security Act. The law says TSA would retain overall security authority at the airport and would be charged with executing a contract with an outside vendor. That vendor, by law, would have to maintain equal, or better, pay and benefits, as well as security standards as the TSA does.
There are currently 22 airports across the U.S. that use private screeners as part of the Screening Partnership Program. That includes four in Florida: Orlando-Sanford International Airport, Sarasota-Bradenton Airport, Punta Gorda Airport and Key West International Airport.
TSA leaders said their service remains superior.
“Last year the Transportation Security Officers at Orlando International Airport discovered the seventh most guns in the country – 84 percent of which were loaded,” AFGE District 5 Vice President Everett Kelley said in a statement. “These highly-trained, highly-skilled officers have sworn an oath to protect the Constitution and the American public, and have been recognized for their hard work.”
According to a survey commissioned by the airport and carried out by Phoenix Marketing International, OIA passengers ranked customer satisfaction at 84 percent in November 2016 and 70 percent in July 2017.
At an airport that’s expected to handle 45 million passengers by this August, TSA said Orlando International Airport has the highest rate in the nation when it comes to the number of passengers screened per lane: 720,000 passengers in 2016. TSA also points to another survey, validated by Valencia College, that shows between May 14-20, 2017, passengers ranked the overall security experience at 96 percent and TSA officer courtesy at 94 percent.
Last year, OIA was named the top airport in the country in customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and Associates.
The GOAA Board will meet again April 18 to discuss the outcome of conversations with TSA in Washington. Unless those conversations satisfy the Board, they could chose to begin vetting private screening companies and applying for SPP status with TSA.
The TSA would have 120 days to approve or reject OIA’s application for SPP status. An application would also require approval from Congress. After approval is given, TSA would have one year to grant a contract, and it would estimate to take a another six months from there to full transition security services.