HOMELAND SECURITY --

-- SENATE GRANTS UNION RIGHTS TO AIRPORT SCREENERS DESPITE WHITE HOUSE VETO THREAT: Yesterday, the Senate defeated an amendment introduced by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) that would have stripped out a provision granting union rights to 45,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport screeners. As it stands, the counterterrorism bill grants the screeners bargaining rights, while prohibiting both strikes and the right to wage negotiations. Nevertheless, the White House has threatened a veto if the bill contains these new union rights for TSA employees. TSA employees are housed in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which has the dubious distinction of having the “unhappiest workers in the federal government.” Granting TSA employees the right to organize would allow them to have the same rights as other DHS employees, as the airport screeners are "frequently required to work unscheduled overtime, suffer from high injury and illness rates, and have an attrition rate 10 times as high as the federal average." Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) called on the White House and conservatives in the Senate to halt the veto threats. The bill would also implement many of the remaining recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, including reallocating homeland security resources, requiring the inspection of all air and sea cargo, and better funding first responders.