Following the 9/11 attack on New York there was a widespread appeal for people to help build the Congressional mandate of federalizing all the airports in the U.S. To protect the flying public.in February I responded to an advertisement believing that I would be just a small part of helping my country after that horrendous attack.
After three grueling days of forms, interviews, physicals, etc., in Chicago, I was finally informed that I was accepted as a supervisor for the newly formed mobile federalization team charged with training former and new screeners due to the newly formed Transportation Security Administration. It felt great that I could do something to protect Americans in my own small capacity.
I was told that I would be leaving the following week for training in Oklahoma City and I needed to be ready to leave in a moments notice. Needless to say my training was delayed for over two months until I was finally sent to Maryland in April. I closed down my general contracting business knowing that I would be leaving immediately for training that never came for months. However, once I passed the extensive training in Maryland, our group of over 300 supervisors were informed that anyone who closed down a business to join the TSA would receive 3 weeks pay for the delay caused in our training beacause of lost income. I have yet to see that compensation and it's 2006 already.
We were told that we could spend up to a year on the road federalizing airports; but, when our designated airport was scheduled to be converted, we would be sent there to complete the federalization of that airport and would no longer need to fly all over the country federalizing airports. Every day we looked for news as to when our designated airport would be federalized. It meant we could finally go home. I spent six months all over the country federalizing six airports.
We were also told that for our sacrifices of travelling, loss of time with our families, devotion to our duties, that we would be the first in line to higher level positions with higher pay levels which would not be subjected to the normal "pay bands" experienced in government, we would be exempt and rewarded.
When I finally reached my designated airport, Dayton International, I was informed by the TSA Security Director that he had no higher level positions as promised by the TSA and suggested I contact either Cincinatti or Columbus airports to see if they had something. Those airports are over an hour from my home and were not my "contracted" airports as promised.
During my time at Dayton International I observed numerous security violations, failures to report "breached" check in terminal occurrences, violations of TSA mandated training, etc., and attempted to report these instances to TSA HQ in Washington. There were no investigators to find out if what I was reporting ws true or not.
I also found out that the private security screeners had "stuffed" their applications with TSA for application to be federal employees. Higher supervisors were employed to oversee myself and other TSA trained supervisors and screeners. There was an obvious effort to eliminate the new TSA supervisors and screeners who were to be replaced by former private screeners.
I was pressured every day with false accusations of violations and treatment of screeners. It got to the point that I could no longer work under those "hostile" work conditions and resigned reluctantly because the federal government would'nt respond to my, and other TSA supervisors, complaints and obvious violations.
I terminated my employment with the TSA in October.
Due to a time lapse in payroll I received two weeks additional pay which I thought was part of the three week compensation that I was originally promised. I thought the third week would be coming in the near future.in the meantime I accrued sick, vacation, and other time which the TSA has told me they would not pay me unless I paid them back the two weeks pay that they said was sent by mistake. Their payroll department never received information of my resignation because of the management at the airport and nothing that had anything to do with me.
I wrote my representative, Dave Hobson, who basically sent a letter to Admiral Loy requesting a resolution to the matter. Dave Hobson later sent me a letter stating that there was no promise of three weeks compensation, it wasn't a part of any contracted employees, and that I needed to pay back the two weeks pay that was being held hostage until I agreed or else they would add on interest until I did pay it. Hobson told me to get a lawyer if I wasn't happy and dropped the issue completely.
I then contacted my State Representative, DeWine, via e-mail. I have yet to hear anything from him or his office.
Of course I contacted the TSA complaint department and was later told that their investigation did not find that there was any violation of the "whistle blowers law" and they simply closed their case. Nothing was done.
Last year I did recieve a letter from an investigator who took the time to inform that an investigation had finally been conducted at the Dayton International Airport and everything that I reported was true. They even fired the Security Director and most of his staff. I sent a letter back asking that, if all that I said were true due to their investigation, would I be reinstated at my former position? I have yet to hear any response about that.
Be careful when you let your patriotic spirit take over to help out your country when it is in desperate need of help, you'll get screwed for taking the time and making the sacrifices that you had to in order to try and make your country more safe.
P.S.: I tried to contact many lawyers regarding my position. They don't think it's worthy of representation.in other words, they won't make any money on it so they won't get involved.
In the meantime I have been without any employment close to what I was making with the TSA and indicating that I "quit" does not read well on a resume no matter what the reason for quitting was.
No one from the federal government will contact me, not that I even know where to start, to get closure to this entire situation. But, rest assured, interest will be building up on what the TSA says that I owe them. That, they won't forget.
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