FederalDaily.com > TSA Screeners Show Discontent

FederalDaily - January 24, 2006

TSA Screeners Show Discontent

The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) made a Freedom of Information Act request for results of a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employee survey. According to POGO, more than 17,000 TSA screeners returned 2004 TSA Organizational Assessment Survey forms. POGO said the results showed that of screeners who returned their forms:

76 percent disagree that “Creativity and innovation are rewarded” at TSA.

80 percent disagree that “Risk-taking is encouraged without fear of punishment for mistakes” at TSA.

73 percent disagree that “Disciplinary actions are applied fairly to employees.”

68 percent disagree that “Managers provide an environment that supports employee involvement, contributions, and teamwork.”

82 percent disagree that “High performing employees are promoted.”

86 percent disagree that “Pay raises depend on how well employees perform their jobs.”

60 percent rate TSA as “below average” or “one of the worst” organizations compared to other organizations.

FAA’s Hurricane Contract Problematic

The Department of Transportation Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on Jan. 20 issued a report assessing controls over a contract the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) held with Landstar Express America, Inc. Among the services provided by Landstar after Hurricane Katrina hit were transportation of commodities such as water, ice and food to disaster distribution sites and the transport of people to and from hurricane-affected areas. The OIG report said contracting officers needed better information to evaluate contractor price quotes. FAA accepted price quotes without asking for documentation showing that the prices were fair and reasonable, the OIG said. Also, better documentation of the actual amount of goods and services provided was needed before authorizing invoices for payment. The OIG found an overpayment to the contractor of approximately $33 million (which was repaid). To read the report, go to www.oig.dot.gov/StreamFile?file=/data/pdfdocs/AV-2006-32.pdf.

NSPS Challenged in Court on Tuesday

Representatives from the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) and other civilian defense employee unions are going before a judge on Tuesday to argue against the Department of Defense’s (DoD) proposed National Security Personnel System (NSPS). AFGE said it will present its case against NSPS before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The hearing will determine if DoD will be allowed to implement its personnel system that will change they pay system for most civilian DoD employees, as well as change rules on union rights. The DoD lawsuit mirrors a case filed by AFGE and other labor unions against comparable personnel regulations proposed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A judge ruled to block the DHS proposals.

Tax Tips for Servicemembers

With the arrival of tax season, the Department of Defense has listed several issues servicemembers should be aware of, including:

There are new provisions to the tax code for victims of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma (the provisions can include extensions for tax filing and help for those who lost homes or property).

Servicemembers who spent time deployed have important things to keep in mind when filing their taxes. For example, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Kosovo all qualify as combat zones where military income is tax exempt.

For enlisted servicemembers, all income earned in a combat zone is exempt, but for officers, income is excluded up to a certain limit.

Servicemembers in a combat zone during tax season get an automatic extension to file their taxes.

For active duty military members, W-2s were available on MyPay starting on Jan. 21.