"Pittsburgh airport security proposal unveiled"

Friday, August 8, 2003 

Airport security proposal unveiled
By Jim Ritchie
THE PITTSBURGH (PA) TRIBUNE-REVIEW


Officials from the Transportation Security Administration and Pittsburgh
International Airport have developed a plan aimed at keeping the lines at
the security checkpoint moving after about 200 federal security screeners
lose their jobs in the next two months. 

The TSA intends to use part-time and split-shift scheduling during peak
travel periods. More screeners will be on duty during typically busy times
and fewer employees will work during lulls. 

"We're trying to prepare for what's going to occur when these layoffs
happen," said JoAnn Jenny, an Allegheny County Airport Authority
spokeswoman. "We're trying to get ahead of the game." 

A Congressional directive will cut the number of screeners here from 570 to
340 by Sept. 30. As of Thursday, the total had been reduced to roughly 500,
officials said. 

Despite Airport Authority Executive Director Kent George's objections to the
number of cuts, the TSA will not alter its plan to eliminate the 230
screener jobs. George anticipates longer lines. 

"I still don't feel that's a sufficient number of people," said George, who
met Wednesday with airline and TSA officials. 

TSA spokesman Mark Hatfield said the agency thus far has implemented 5,000
of the 6,000 scheduled layoffs nationwide without widespread delays at
airports. 

"We've consistently been able to stay close to the 10-minute average wait,
and the sky ain't falling," he said. 

The TSA has not yet determined how many part-time employees it will employ
at Pittsburgh. The part-time positions will be carved out of the 340
full-time slots. For example, two part-time employees working 20 hour weeks
might equal one full-time slot. 

Part-time TSA employees can earn between $11.30 to $16.96 an hour, depending
on experience and location, and are eligible for benefits with the level of
coverage determined by the hours worked. Full-time screeners earn more, with
salaries ranging from $23,600 to $35,400, depending on experience and
location. 

The St. Louis-based company that provided airport security at Pittsburgh
International prior to the TSA's creation in 2001, Huntleigh USA, paid its
screeners $9 an hour. 

The authority also plans to install an extra baggage screening machine on
the ticketing level to help keep lines moving. The Explosives Detection
Systems machine was going to be based in the airport's international
terminal, but now will be installed in the ticketing area along with four
others. 

"We think it's going to improve efficiencies, and it should happen in the
next few weeks," Jenny said. 

The TSA also plans to modify how passengers move through the security
checkpoint to help ease their wait. The agency also will consider changes in
screening airport and airline employees, Jenny said. Specifics were not
disclosed. 

Even if the changes help, George said, "We're all very concerned about what
it's going to look like around the holidays." 

On the Monday following Thanksgiving 2001, the airport's checkpoint line
stretched to the extended-term parking lot. Some people missed their
flights.


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