TSA workers finally paid after 44 days, but challenges continue

[0:00] After 44 days of working without pay, TSA workers are finally starting to get back pay. [0:06] That comes after President Trump issued an executive order on Friday to pay TSA officers [0:11] immediately. Still, some airports continue to see long lines due to staffing shortages. [0:17] William Brangham has more. [0:20] The Department of Homeland Security announced that most TSA employees received a first [0:25] retroactive paycheck today that covered several weeks of unpaid work. [0:30] But many workers say damage has already been done. [0:34] Some are still calling out sick or struggling to catch up on bills, [0:38] child care, and missed payments after weeks without income. [0:42] For more on this, we are joined by Angela Grana. [0:45] She's a TSA officer in Colorado and the regional vice president for her state's branch [0:50] of the American Federation of Government Employees Union. [0:55] Angela, thank you so much for being here. [0:57] Before we get into this larger, [1:00] larger struggle about these back paychecks, did you get your your check this morning? [1:05] I did. I got mine about 430 this morning. [1:07] I got a paycheck. [1:08] Yes. [1:09] And can you give us a sense of how TSA workers like yourself prior to these paychecks [1:15] coming, what it has been like for you all and how you have had to try to deal with working [1:21] for so many weeks with no pay? [1:23] It's been devastating. [1:25] It's been a constant battle with trying to stay alive. [1:30] Yeah. [1:30] Financially and trying to keep a nice face on. [1:34] But when the passenger comes up to greet you, you greet them just the same and let them not let [1:39] them know that there's something very bad deep down inside. [1:43] And what kinds of I know I've heard some reports about workers having to take other jobs or [1:49] do other things to supplement their income. [1:51] So supplementing the income is not an easy task. [1:54] You cannot just go get another job. [1:57] The agency has to okay that other income. [2:00] And that other work and where would you have time to do that when you are already pulling a 10 to 12 [2:06] hour shift and with one day off a week trying to cover for those that couldn't come to work? [2:12] Right. Can you give us a sense of these paychecks started to hit people's bank accounts today? [2:20] Is it your sense that that is going to bring the vast majority of people back to work and deal with this issue? [2:28] No. [2:29] So if you resign. [2:30] You turned in your badge, which means you also lost your security clearance, which means you're not coming back and those that couldn't come to work, hopefully they will eventually be able to, you know, pay off whatever bill that's holding them state to stay at home, probably a child care issue. [2:51] And so it's not an easy, quick fix. [2:53] It's going to take some time. [2:55] And I don't think we're ever going to really recover from this abuse. [2:59] There's a lot of finance charges. [3:01] And. [3:01] Late fees. [3:02] And, you know, we're still trying to get ourselves out of the last shutdown, where if we took a loan there against anything that we had that you couldn't take another loan because you already had one outstanding. [3:16] And unfortunately, the agency does not like it. [3:18] And they they they frown big on a bad credit report. [3:22] And I guarantee you, we're going to have some officers with bad credit readings. [3:27] You mentioned that you try to put on a brave face for the customers who are coming through the airports. [3:31] And. [3:32] I know a lot of people have expressed frustration being at the airport and getting stuck, and they may not know what you all have been dealing with or the with the machinations here in D.C. [3:41] What do you want those people to know about what you've been dealing with? [3:46] Well, walk a mile in our shoes. [3:49] Of course, we're not going to let them know it when we're on the checkpoint. [3:52] We're going to be professional. [3:54] We're going to be diligent at our job and only focused on our jobs. [3:58] Of course, we'll say hello and have a nice day and have a safe flight. [4:01] But we're not going to let them know. [4:02] We're not going to let them know how we truly feel. [4:04] I would like them to know that it's a big thank you for all all of those gift cards that they gave us and the donations of food and and diapers and laundry detergent, all kinds of even pet food. [4:16] Those were crazy donations that they didn't have to do. [4:19] They already pay a 9-11 tax when they bought their boarding pass. [4:24] And that 9-11 tax should be something that we're using as, you know, our budget money. [4:32] So I'm not sure where the politicians or how the politicians handle our budget line. [4:40] But it would be nice if the politicians got themselves together and figured that figured all this mess out and stopped doing it on our backs. [4:49] Because I think it's going to happen again at the end of May and probably at the end of September. [4:54] We'll have to go through all of this all over again. [4:56] And we don't have that kind of pay to save for a rainy day. [5:00] We start at $40,000. [5:02] So I don't know how we're going to do it. [5:03] I don't know how we're going to we're going to ever have money to pay for another shutdown. [5:08] I guess the same question I would ask to you about what you would like the leaders here in Washington to understand. [5:15] I mean, a lot of them have now left for a two week Easter recess. [5:19] What do you want them to understand about all of this? [5:24] Well, I have a nice vacation. [5:26] We are not getting a vacation. [5:28] Me as a grandmother, I've missed a lot of milestones because I'm not allowed to take an unscheduled leave. [5:35] There. [5:36] You know, our Easter's are not going to be the same. [5:38] Most of us are going to work that day. [5:40] Easter baskets. [5:41] Forget it. [5:41] We're not going to have money for that. [5:43] You know, it's we don't have a red line and a blue line for passengers to be separated. [5:50] We have a red, white and blue checkpoint. [5:52] We treat everybody the same. [5:54] We don't discriminate on what their political desires or wants and needs are. [5:59] So we don't understand why the politicians can't serve the American people and fix this issue. [6:07] Angela Granna, TSA officer and member of your local union, thank you so much for being here. [6:12] Thank you. [6:13] Appreciate it. [6:26] Support journalism you trust. [6:28] Support PBS News. [6:30] Donate now or even better, start a monthly contribution today.