TSA Expands Gold+ Privatization to 3 Airports as 4,500 Screening Jobs Face Elimination
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 5
TSA Expands Gold+ Privatization to 3 Airports as 4,500 Screening Jobs Face Elimination
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 5
Summary
Tampa, Charleston and Des Moines are set to shift checkpoint screening and control of security technology to private contractors under TSA's new Gold+ program, the agency told the union last month.
AFGE says workers at those airports would lose their union contract and benefits when contractors take over, and the union is reviewing legal options to challenge the move.
Gold+ goes beyond TSA's existing screening partnership program because contractors would also own and operate screening equipment; TSA plans to cut roughly 4,500 positions as privatization expands to 220 airports.
The push aligns with the Trump administration's proposed 2027 TSA budget cuts, which would eliminate 8,400 officer positions—about 14% of the screening workforce—after earlier failed attempts to end collective bargaining for 47,000 employees.
Union officials argue the shift revives the pre-9/11 private-screening model they say weakened standards, while TSA says affected officers will get first refusal on jobs plus severance or retirement options.