Washington DC – A major victory for the 47,000 Transportation Security Officers represented by AFGE.
A federal judge ruled last week that the Trump administration’s latest attempt to terminate their contract violates a standing court injunction.
This was Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s second attempt to sever the collective bargaining agreement with the Transportation Security Administration. It was also the second time a judge has ruled against the administration.
On March 7, Secretary Kristi Noem initially sought to terminate the contract, but in June, U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman of the Western District of Washington issued a preliminary injunction blocking the action. Judge Pechman found that DHS’s actions violated the First Amendment, the Fifth Amendment, and the Administrative Procedure Act.
Despite the injunction’s clear prohibition on terminating the CBA, Secretary Noem signed a new declaration in September purporting to terminate the agreement. Notably, DHS did not inform AFGE or TSA employees of the September declaration until December — concealing from thousands of TSA officers working without pay during the government shutdown that Secretary Noem was planning to strip them of their rights.
On Dec. 18, AFGE filed an emergency motion to enforce the injunction. Following a Jan. 13 hearing in Seattle, U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead ruled on January 15, that implementing Secretary Noem’s September determination would violate the preliminary injunction, finding that the June order “by its plain terms, prohibits [TSA] from implementing the September Noem Determination.”
The court further ordered TSA to “immediately notify bargaining unit TSOs that, pursuant to the Preliminary Injunction issued by the court on June 2, 2025, the September Noem Determination will not take effect on January 18, 2026, the 2024 CBA remains applicable and binding, and the currently pending grievances and arbitrations submitted under the 2024 CBA will continue to be processed.”
“On behalf of the 47,000 TSA officers our union represents, I thank the court for stepping in to prevent the administration from ripping up their union contract again,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said. “TSA officers – many of whom are veterans – are patriotic public servants who swore an oath to protect the safety of the traveling public and to ensure that another horrific attack like September 11 never happens again. The administration’s repeated efforts to strip these workers of a voice in their working conditions should concern every person who steps foot in an airport.”
