[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5494-5495]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    TRANSPORTATION SECURITY OFFICERS

  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, there are 43,000 men and women working as 
transportation security officers, or TSOs, for the Transportation 
Security Administration. They deserve our respect, not our 
indifference.
  The McCaskill amendment is straightforward. It provides TSOs basic 
rights and protections in the workplace.
  The DeMint amendment, however, strips away those rights and 
protections. Proponents have raised specious arguments about the 
consequences of providing worker protections to people whose job it is 
to protect us. In fact, the opposite is true.
  The McCaskill amendment helps ensure that a screening system intended 
to prevent acts of terrorism actually prevents acts of terrorism. If we 
want TSOs to protect our health and safety, we should protect theirs. 
For the sake of screeners and travelers both, TSOs should not be 
overworked.
  For the sake of screeners and travelers both, TSOs should not fear 
retaliation if they report security breaches.
  For the sake of screeners and travelers both, TSOs should have 
somewhere to turn if they are being harassed or bullied at the 
workplace or if there are health and safety issues in the workplace.
  Basic rights, basic common sense. That is what the McCaskill 
amendment is about. It doesn't give TSOs the right to strike. It does 
not compromise the public safety. Actually, it promotes the public 
safety.
  I urge every Member of this body to allow TSOs the same basic rights 
and

[[Page 5495]]

privileges and protections as other Federal employees. Vote yes on the 
McCaskill amendment because you care about these workers, and vote yes 
because you care about all of us, the people they are protecting.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from North Carolina is 
recognized.

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