TSA to Cut 6,000 Airport Security Jobs

National to Lose 103 Screeners, BWI to Pare 3; No Cuts Planned at Dulles

The federal government announced a plan yesterday to reduce the number of uniformed federal airport screeners at some major airports and warned that passengers might encounter longer lines at security checkpoints.

James M. Loy, who heads the Transportation Security Administration, said 3,000 positions will be trimmed from the workforce by May 31 and 3,000 more by Sept. 30. The cuts should save $280 million in the next fiscal year. The agency will depend on normal attrition rates, about 700 to 800 screeners per month, and will also encourage screeners to take part-time jobs. Security supervisors will begin performance evaluations this month and lay off poor performers, if necessary, to reach reduction targets.

In the Washington region, the TSA plans to cut 103 screeners from Reagan National Airport and three from Baltimore-Washington International. At Dulles International Airport, no screeners will be eliminated.

Nationwide, the biggest cuts will come at John F. Kennedy International and Salt Lake City International airports, where the TSA estimates checkpoints are overstaffed by 396 and 385 screeners, respectively.

Congressional budget leaders have pressed the TSA to reduce its 55,600-screener workforce to save money. It appeared to many travelers and lawmakers that the agency had hired too many security personnel, prompting jokes that its initials stood for "Thousands Standing Around." Loy said the agency initially hired too many screeners at some airports and not enough at others because it used a model based on the private-sector screening workforce that has been used. Also, it at first didn't take into account that most airports are very busy at certain hours but nearly empty at others.

To come up with its reduction targets, the agency assessed staffing needs at airports across the country. Some were found to need additional personnel, and the TSA will offer screeners at overstaffed airports $5,000 each to relocate to ones that are understaffed.

"TSA is entering a new stage in its maturation as an agency," Loy said. "We realize there could be impact on passenger wait times, but we'll be careful of monitoring customer service indices."

The American Federation of Government Employees, which is trying to organize screeners, said yesterday that it "doesn't favor staff reductions based upon a budget rather than security," according to spokeswoman Diane Witiak.

TSA officials said that security levels would remain high and that the cuts would improve efficiency.

Loy also announced yesterday that law enforcement officers will no longer be required to stand guard at each security checkpoint. Beginning May 31, the officers will be assigned to rove around the terminals.