Are TSA employees government employees?

TSA agents are among the lowest-paid federal employees, and most are required to keep working during a shutdown. Towards the end of the last funding lapse in 2019, agents began calling in sick en masse, causing wait times at checkpoints to jump over an hour at several major airports.



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Transportation security administration (TSA) agents, also known as Transportation Security Officers (TSO), are uniformed employees that provide security and protection for all travelers, and prevent dangerous materials and people from entering transportation hubs.

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Most TSA employees are TSO's who do not have arrest powers and do not carry weapons of any kind, including guns. However, there are some individuals under the TSA such as Federal Air Marshals who do have law enforcement powers and are allowed to carry guns through the airport and even on planes.

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As the only union to represent and stand behind Transportation Security Officers since the beginning, AFGE is at the forefront of the struggle to secure rights and improve working conditions at TSA.

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Thus, under TSA policy, a full-time employee under a CWS receives overtime pay for all overtime hours officially ordered and approved in excess of the CWS. Accordingly, as a full-time TSO scheduled to a CWS, the claimant is not entitled to overtime pay until he works over 80 hours in a pay period.

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Now, compensation for screeners in the top pay band starts at $49,000, an increase from $36,000, according to TSA data. For non-TSOs in a middle pay band that covers many explosives specialists and air marshals, base salaries now start at $59,000, up from $46,000.

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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.

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Thanks to the continued hard work of AFGE TSA Council 100, the historic raise and expanded rights became a reality. On Thursday, Dec. 29, President Biden signed into law the 2023 omnibus government funding bill that funds the pay hike for TSOs, giving the severely underpaid workforce an average 30% raise.

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The 2/G rank insignia (also known as shoulder boards) were added with this contract. The insignia was navy blue with gold “TSA” lettering and gold stripes to distinguish rank. TSOs had one stripe, Lead TSOs had two stripes, and Supervisory TSOs had three stripes.

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