TSA employees fall victim to identity theft

With all the concerns about airport security, it's troubling to learn that some of those who work to protect it may also have to worry about the security of their own identities.

Two Lynn, Mass., residents have been charged with stealing the identities of Transportation Security Administration employees at Boston's Logan International Airport.

Tina White and Michael Washington, who reportedly had the cooperation of a contract employee in the TSA's human resources office at the airport, pleaded not guilty to identity fraud charges.

News outlets in Massachusetts reported that the third suspect was Washington's niece. TSA and prosecution officials would not comment on that individual's status.

The stolen identities, including names, Social Security numbers and dates of birth, were sold for $40 each and were then used to purchase utility, telephone and television services, according to Massachusetts newspapers.

Air travel safety apparently was not threatened in this case. "TSA can assure the traveling public the release of this information does not compromise aviation security," said Ann Davis, an agency spokeswoman in Boston.

Washington's attorney said he had no comment, and White's lawyer could not be reached. A hearing on the case is scheduled for Feb. 3.

In philosophy, not practice

Federally Employed Women, with the telling acronym FEW, is the latest group of federal workers to dump on the government's pay-for-performance systems.

In one sense, that's like kicking a dog when it's down. Last year, Congress ordered the phase-out of the National Security Personnel System, the government's largest pay-for-performance program.

FEW says a survey of its members indicated that they were okay with the philosophy of pay-for-performance but didn't like it in practice.

"By virtually a 2-to-1 ratio, the members of Federally Employed Women . . . overwhelmingly expressed their discontent with current pay-for-performance personnel systems," the organization said in a statement. "While they concurred that there were some beneficial reasons, in theory, to support these types of systems, current attempts in the federal government to implement them have been woefully inadequate, according to the survey results."

FEW members said such programs give too much discretion to untrained managers, lack written or standardized guidelines, and rely too much on writing skills and high-profile projects. The members also said those who evaluate workers for performance raises often do not know the workers they are rating, and they complain that the pay pools are underfunded.