[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 15]
[House]
[Page 21407]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



         BIPARTISAN SUPPORT FOR FEDERALIZING AIRPORT EMPLOYEES

  (Mr. RODRIGUEZ asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, aviation security is a national security. 
Protecting our skies is a matter of national defense and we should not 
leave national security to the private companies that contract to the 
lowest bidder. We would not expect the President to be protected by the 
lowest bidder. We do not do that. We do not expect our leadership here 
in the House to get protected by the lowest bidder contract.
  The current system is broken and needs to be corrected. Contracting 
to the lowest bidder has created a workforce that suffers from high 
turnover, and we have seen the turnover over 400 percent, low pay and 
low morale. Baggage screeners should be a highly skilled, highly 
trained workforce that serves the frontline of this Nation's national 
defense. There is a broad bipartisan support for federalizing the 
workers.
  The Washington Post just came out with a report that 82 percent of 
Americans support this effort. We need to make sure that every American 
feels secure when they go to the airport, and making them feel secure 
is by making sure that those people are well-trained and well-educated. 
The Air Pilots Association has endorsed it, and I ask your support.

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