Friday, June 18, 2010

Oh, this is rich.

I've got to start a "get a load of this" tag, because lately I'm inundated with laugh-out-loud "WHAT??" stories. To wit:
Indianapolis - If you're flying out of town today you might see protestors at the airport.

They started picketing Thursday in several spots around Indianapolis International Airport, handing out pamphlets.

They're at airports across the country as well.

The union American Federation of Government Employees represents 40,000 airport employees of the TSA nationwide.

They're pushing for an expansion of collective bargaining rights, the ability to negotiate a better deal between the union and employers.
Tam, as usual, said it better than I could if I devoted the morning to the task:
That's like being picketed by your own body lice.
Seriously, is there any government agency anywhere as intrusively, obtrusively, obviously and ... I don't know, protrudingly useless as the TSA? They who stand in the breach, keeping the Republic safe from Grandma's itsy-bitsy sewing scissors and your bottle of water? We're just recovering from the avalanche of stories about TSA's latest insult, the porn-o-scanner, and now they're "threatening" to strike? Srsly?

Please! Go on strike! Go now! I'll proofread your signs. (you'll need that.)

Take the drones at the DMV with you.

3 comments:

Emily said...

Federal employees are prohibited by law from striking, so that's not even a possibility. The article says that the union is passing out literature to its members.

Do you know that the TSA employees don't make the agency decisions? If you think (and I'm not necessarily disagreeing) that TSA is intrusive, that has nothing to do with the right for its employees to have workplace representation.

Joel said...

Federal employees are prohibited by law from striking, so that's not even a possibility.

TSA can stop me from carrying a plastic spork onto an airplane, Emily. But it can't stop me from dreaming.

Besides, air traffic controllers are federal employees, and they went on strike. Reagan fired their collective ass, as I recall, but they did strike. So it is a possibility.

A delicious, delicious possibility.

Also, yes, I really do know that TSA employees don't make agency policy. But they do carry it out, all 40,000 of them, and I have no respect for anyone who would choose to do such a thing.

suek said...

You might find this article interesting...it's not long.

http://gatesofvienna.blogspot.com/2010/06/back-in-saddle-again.html