Merit Pay in a Nuclear Test Project

Gale Rossides, deputy administrator at the TSA, said yesterday that reducing paperwork chores will permit supervisors to spend more time as mentors and coaches to front-line employees at airport checkpoints. The TSA is conducting an analysis to determine how many hours spent on paperwork will be saved, she said.

Federal unions have criticized the TSA's workplace practices and pay system since it was created after the 2001 terrorist attacks. The unions do not have collective-bargaining rights at the TSA and have lobbied Congress for approval to represent airport screeners and negotiate on their behalf.

Mark Roth, general counsel at the American Federation of Government Employees, said the TSA modifications "confirm AFGE's unease with PASS as an inherently flawed and subjective system that lacks fairness and credibility."

Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, said that "the small changes TSA is making will provide partial relief to employees caught in a byzantine system" but that they fall short of treating screeners fairly.

Rossides said front-line employees and supervisors suggested the changes in focus groups and advisory meetings that began last year. The unions "had nothing to do with the inputs we received," she said, adding that "we felt no pressure from any of the unions to do this."

Talk Shows

John Euler, rule of law counselor for the Justice Department, will be the guest on "FedTalk" at 11 a.m. today on Federalnewsradio.com and WFED radio (1050 AM).

Patrick F. Kennedy, undersecretary for management at the State Department, will be the guest on the IBM "Business of Government Hour" at 9 a.m. tomorrow on WJFK radio (106.7 FM).

Stephen Barr's e-mail address is barrs@washpost.com.