BTW.....

you do realize that this gets worse, right?

Add to the 50,000 dollars that was used as an example in the previous post, the 936 dollar raise that was mentioned. Now, multiply 50,936 dollars by 2.3 percent. The union now gets 1,172 dollars in dues money!

50,936 by the agency membership rate of 1.74 percent translates to 886 dollars. Your actual raise for the year is 50 dollars.  But only if you are paying the agency rate fee.

Are you mad as hell yet?

Let's keep this going while we have your attention.

Take the gross income amount from your 2015 W2 and multiply that by 2.3 percent.

The union just loves it when you do overtime. The more you make, the more they make. 

Now tell us once again just how great SEIU is! Can you understand why they don't want to be pushed out as the union that represents the workforce?  They are laughing all the way to the bank!

So, who should be awarded the contract at SFO?

Should it be the company that submits the lowest bid?  Should it be a company that is well known?  Just what should this decision be based upon?

How about this?  How about awarding this contract to a company that will not put "profit before product "!  How about awarding this contract to a company that has a proven track record and a thorough understanding of what security is all about?

How about awarding this contract to a company that will respect and appreciate the contributions of the workforce?

How about a company that can motivate and inspire the workforce with their leadership skills and professional example?

We want a company that will respect and listen to our concerns and respond to them in a positive way.

CAS found out the hard way that threats and intimidation will not work.  The working relationship that CAS has with the workforce is deplorable.  CAS has had over ten years to get it right, and they have failed to do so.

CAS should not be allowed to have an opportunity to once again put profit before product.  They should not be allowed to further damage the remnants of the morale and team spirit that once existed at SFO.

Could it be that the TSA is the best option for SFO?

So, what do you think happens now?

There is legislation in the Senate today that would force the TSA to let airports opt out of the Federal screening program. If it passes it will go to Obama, who is expected to approve and sign on said legislation.

More private companies with government contracts means more union dues for union coffers. Since unions are the biggest contributors to President Obama's re-election campaign, we can all guess where the dues will go.

There are two loopholes for the TSA to use. They would have to prove that, as the BusinessWeek article states, the "move wouldn’t be cost-effective and would be detrimental to security."
Of those two loopholes, the easiest path for the TSA seems to be the old standby, "that it would be detrimental to security!"

How would the TSA substantiate their complaints against Covenant? Testing, testing and more testing! They would have to prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that private companies are not capable of providing the quality of security comparable to that which the TSA provides.

So, once again, does anyone think that the TSA will just sit idly by and watch their "empire" shrink?

We think not. If we thought that we were tested before, think again. This new legislation will bring the testing to an even more intense level, and the battle lines have been drawn.

Buckle up; we are in for a rough ride.

SEIU and Their Re-election Campaign Contributions!

It has been reported that, as of this date, President Obama has collected, in the way of contributions, 61 million dollars. At this current pace, by November, he would have raised 1 billion dollars!

The biggest contributors, so far, have been unions. Now, of those fore mention unions, the biggest contributor has been SEIU! Hard to believe, isn't it? The dues of all the union members, with or without their consent, has been spent to further the special interest of the SEIU national leadership.

They will no doubt tell us that this is the right thing to do. Is it really? Or, will they tell us anything at all? We need a rail, a bucket of tar, and loads of feathers.

About That Form Letter..

More copies will be made available to those who wish to fill it out.

An unverified rumor about SEIU and CAS extending the old contract is being bandy about. Our advice to you is to continue to pick up a form, fill it out, and turn it in. At the very least you will be paying dues at the reduced rate of 1.2% instead of 1.8%.

You also are telling SEIU that you do not want your dues being used in a way that you do not approve of. You have nothing to lose!

Are you looking for this?

To: Covenant Payroll
Covenant Aviation Security, L.L.C.
1350 Bayshore Highway, Suite 450
Burlingame, CA. 94010

I am a nonmember of the SEIU union. If your records show me to be a member, I resign effective immediately.

Effective immediately (the next available payroll), please discontinue my automatic payroll deduction of Union fees. I hereby revoke any previously signed automatic payroll deduction authorization. Since the contract with SEIU USWW ended on December 31,2011, there is currently a "hiatus" and I should owe nothing in dues for the foreseeable future. Please collect no further dues from my salary.

Furthermore, if and when there exists a contractual dues obligation, I request that I only pay the reduced agency fees under CWA v. Beck, 1988.

I object to any union expenditures for political and nonrepresentational activities. Please consider my Beck objection and dues revocation to be permanent and continuing in nature.

Respectfully Submitted,


___________________________
Name:
SFO #
Address
City and State and Zip Code

Mail to:

SEIU USWW
3411 East 12th Street, Suite 200
Oakland, CA. 94601

__________________________________________________________________
Instructions for using this form:

Copy, Paste and Print out the entire body of this form letter.
Print and sign your name in the proper space.
SFO# = supply your badge number, not your Ascent i.d.
Fill in your home address(the union has this info anyway.)
Fill in your city, state and zip code info.

Next, submit a copy of the completed form to the EAC and have them date stamp it and initial it.

Make one copy of the stamped form for your records, and make one copy to be mailed to the union at the above supplied address. (To prevent the union from claiming that they never received your letter, it is best to send it as "certified mail.")

It Didn't Take Long....

for the two unions who are competing to represent the TSA workforce to come to the rescue.

Nothing motivates a union more than the possible loss of dues paying members, or in this case, potential dues paying members. And, just how are they attempting to come to the rescue? Why, by reaching out to key members of the Democratic Party and crying foul!

The TSA has stated that this reduced budget, if it passes, will cause a reduction in numbers somewhere around 5,000. Now, one union is putting out a more dramatic number of 8,000. Let's sit back and watch these unions use scare tactics to make sure that this budget reduction doesn't pass.

The full story can be read at: http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/tsa/165639-unions-vying-to-represent-tsa-push-senators-to-oppose-amendments-passed-by-house

Your Thoughts on SEIU!

We would like to hear from you what you think about SEIU. Do you think that they have been stellar? Less than stellar? Or, just so-so?

Do you feel that they have earned the money that we pay in dues? What do you feel they have done for us? And, what would you like to see them do?

It's time to evaluate SEIU for better or for worse. We would use your input to explore our possible alternative options if it comes to that.

Every comment submitted to us will be kept confidential and no names will be used.

We are here to help deal with the issues that affect us all.

We have been asked to explain....

We have been asked to explain just why we feel that the TSA Administrator "caved" in to Rep. John Mica.

Some of our earlier postings outlined the position of Mr. Mica, and even highlighted and challenged his statement saying," “I have also asked GAO to continue to review what other factors gave the all-government model a cost advantage. It is my intent to make certain that TSA cannot arbitrarily deny any future application from an airport to participate in the private screening program. “I am confident that the private sector can not only perform better, but do so at a lower cost to the taxpayers.”

It is very obvious that he is using SFO in his comparisons to the TSA workforce. Or, do any of you really think that he is using any of the other 15?

Mica also stated, "Nearly every positive security innovation since the beginning of TSA has come from the contractor screening program. I intend to launch a full investigation and review of this matter."

Once again we challenged that statement and asked for proof of the "positive security innovations" that came from us or any of the other 15.

We are still waiting for evidence that Mr. John L. Mica must produced to back up these statements.

A letter sent out by TSA to one of you, asking why TSA has not federalized SFO, generated, almost word for word, the exact position of John Mica. "Administrator Pistole affirmed that the current airports participating in SPP remain a valuable resource to be utilized as a comparison between private and Federal screening operations, as well as a tool to generate innovation in operations."

Notice how quiet Mr. John L. Mica has been after CAS was awarded a new 5 year contract?

The power of Nancy Pelosi, Diane Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, The San Francisco Airport Commission and, let us not forget, the substantial contributions to re-election campaigns that SEIU made, and will continue to make, to the Democratic Party.

Money and influence pedaling at its best!

It's not about doing the right thing and it never has been. It's about special interest groups with special agendas. When will someone stand up and put the safety of the flying public first and foremost?

Just where do we fit in?

On March 16th, TSA gave a security briefing that was essentially a re-hash of the weekly TSA security bulletins. Several of those that attended that meeting said that two important items were mentioned. One item was that SFO has been identified as a "high value terrorist target" along with LAX. The second item was more important. This item stated, that since we are not really TSA, we would not be able to become part of a program which would give us top secret security briefings. Make no mistake about this, this information would enable us to be better prepared in dealing with threats that might be coming our way.

So, once again, we are left out. Once again the safety of the American public is of secondary importance. We are left to fend for ourselves because we are not "really" TSA.

Then, why is CAS still here? Is our security clearance not at the same level as our TSA counterparts? Are we not trustworthy? What are we missing here?

We need to have the same tools and information as our TSA counterparts. We are not expendable and, for that matter, the safety of the American public flying out of SFO should not be of secondary importance. Why has TSA not done what should have been done a long time ago? I guess it must be pure politics at its best!

"The Case of the Missing Shoes"

Without an explanation as to why, we have been told that new shoes will not be forthcoming. Have they found a better use for the money? Perhaps a down payment for the work of Rep. John Mica in advance? A little seed money? Is the head of corporate greed rising up again? Or is it to pay for the reappearance of Jeff Pugh? An explanation would be nice. Maybe TSA can supply us with an answer.

What a load of Horse Manure!

This can not go unanswered. SEIU has pulled out all the stops. Let's meet this challenge head on.

Here is a copy of what was sent as a rebuttal to Rep. John Mica's paid endorsement.

We are members of the private screening workforce at SFO under the SPP gravy train. We are forced to join the local chapter of SEIU in order to keep our jobs. The union ties to the Democratic party and Rep. John Mica warrant a closer look. Spend some time and effort and review the issues that we face daily. Artificially inflating our staffing levels is only one of our issues. A for profit private contractor will never put security over profits first. Ask the current and former employees of Covenant Aviation what they think of this SPP workforce that skimps on what is needed to provide a highly motivated and trained workforce. Howard Beale. H2Beale@Gmail.com

SEIU vs. AFGE

In the fight for control of the unionization of the TSA workforce there appears to be battle lines. AFGE applauded the decision to not expand the SPP gravy train. They are going head to head with SEIU. Don't get me wrong, they still want to unionized the workforce, only, "they" want the lucre. ( A tribute here to KK4.) Will SEIU take this lying down? Of course not! They have once again stirred up Rep. John Mica who continues his call for an investigation of TSA. Mr. Mica has gone so far as to call TSA a threat to the flying public.

This is the same Rep. John Mica who, not too long ago, touted the private contractors as the one bright spot of the TSA workforce. Well, we private contractors follow the same SOP and guidelines as the TSA workforce, therefore, how could we be better? Either we are all bad or all good. There is not a separate grading system, it's a one size fits all!

So, looking at this as we usually do, it comes down to dollars and cents. ( And a pact with blood brother Gerry L. Berry of Winter Springs, Florida.)

When will someone strap on a pair and expose this for what it is? Is there a volunteer? Someone needs to look long and hard into Rep. John Mica and the real reasons for his position.

The Big "Green" Machine!

The Power of Money has, as you already know, both Republicans and Democrats calling for airports to opt out of TSA. We will have to connect the dots to expose this money trail that will lead to the real reasons for this opt out call. Private contractors will funnel money to airport commissions and political parties who were instrumental in pushing this "privatization" movement. A closer look at these financial connections needs to be initiated and exposed to the American Public. It is not about which entity will provide better and more responsive airport security, it is about which entity will provide the most "cash" for reelection campaigns and special interests.

The Time Has Come; It Has Begun!

It is time to expose the goings on between SEIU, The Democratic Party and the San Francisco Airport Commission. This cozy relationship, at our expense, has to end now!

We have initiated our thrust into the world of the TSA blogs to totally disclose the inner workings of this political and financial relationship.

Your help may be needed to help us in this effort. This is an enormous undertaking and we will need your participation.

May the seeds that we are planting bear fruit.

Good luck to us all!

Money on a String

As reported on this blog, the private contractors in the Pilot Program, now within the Screening Partnership Program, once were found to be a mere 17% more expensive than their federal counterparts. If this were the end of the story, probably the Screening Partnership Program would be done and buried since the TSA is required to keep costs similar between fed and private operations.

At least one contractor pushed back on this report, wanting to avoid a Career Decision Day. This contractor argued that the taxes paid by the contractor is money that comes back to the government, so this amount is not an actual expense to the government.

But folks, that would be a rebate. The difference is taxes are made to be avoided. One year you might be taxed, it might tick you off, and you might find a way to lower your tax obligation the next year. There is no guarantee the taxes will be paid consistently.

Sadly, though, it looks like the government bought the argument to some degree. And this bought the contractors time until TSA could raise wages enough for the contractor at SFO, Covenant Aviation Security, to undercut TSA's wages for experienced personnel in comparison. The next time they run the numbers private might come out even. Well played, ladies and gentlemen. You're "innovative" private sectors ideas haven't benefitted the public but you didn't lose the deal.

During this period, Covenant can be identified in one very public way. They've hired lobbyists to speak to Congresspersons and to speak to the General Accounting Office (source: OpenSecrets.org, listed as 'Covenant'). By law the lobbyists are required to file reports. They've been paying $15,000 a quarter for the past several years. They are using the same lobbyists (Smith Dawson Andrews) as San Francisco International Airport, maybe to save on cab fair or something.

It looks like hokey accounting must be in the mix when you talk about the Screening Partnership Program. First, note that Covenant Aviation Security has hired lobbyists. Next, note that experienced TSO's are better off federal. Finally, note that if someone is being paid to counter-balance this, why is that group doing nothing?