McKinney urges Secretary Mineta to Maintain Diversity of Airport Security Personnel

The Honorable Norman Mineta
Secretary of Transportation
Department of Transportation
400 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20590

Dear Mr. Secretary:

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to speak with me during your recent visit to the Capitol. I write to you today to follow up on our conversation regarding the federalization of airport security personnel. First and foremost, I want to commend the strong leadership you have provided this nation in the months following the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Since the creation of the Transportation Safety Administration in November of 2001, I have had great concerns over the hiring practices being implemented with the new security personnel. It is my understanding the Transportation Safety Administration will hire and deploy thousands of security screeners and supervisors at 429 airports across the United States over the next year. That would mean the employment of an additional 30,000 personnel at our airports. It is for this reason, I am requesting the Transportation Safety Administration to take great pains to preserve the jobs of those already in the airport security workforce.

As you know, the vast majority of the people currently hired in these positions are women and men of color. I would hate for them to lose their jobs just as the workforce experiences pay and training improvements.

I look forward to your response of my inquiry. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at (202)-225-1605. Thank you for you commitment to the safety of our airports and air travel.

Sincerely,

 

Cynthia McKinney
Member of Congress

CAM/jmr

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