Traveling can be a great escape from reality, whether it is for a vacation, to visit friends, or to see relatives. However, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has been under a lot of pressure because of limited staffing in airports, and the most challenging aspect of all, is that TSA employees are not being paid enough. Throughout modern history their pay has been contested, but the paycheck has been an even larger issue lately due to the government shutdown.Â
Checking in before traveling to keep things safe and efficient has prevented overwhelming flight and airport experiences. However, lately, there has been huge disruptions, such as two-hour lines for security check-in. According to Reuters, President Trump ordered the government to pay TSA workers, especially security workers, after over 500 of them quit their jobs due to the financial strain of the shutdown. Another reason TSA workers are quitting is that there is limited career advancement after getting a job at the airport. It makes it harder for them to find a balance between work and life; they are trying to find themselves while staying within their jobs.Â
In addition to a reduced budget, workers further put themselves at risk by leaving. Despite how hard some have worked with the shortage of staff, they feel that the job is no longer worthwhile. While the initial delay was a result of the shutdown, the delay has worsened as quitting and employees being absent from their jobs persists. This makes it frustrating for passengers who aren’t patient and want to be on time for their flight. Meanwhile, ICE agents are reported to have been at certain airports due to new immigration policies as their main focus is to capture and arrest under the current administration. ICE has been reported going to the airports since Monday, March 23.Â
Most of the TSA employees stayed at the TSA and workers were paid last week. Unfortunately, some of the workers expressed that it wasn’t enough to pay their bills. They’re human beings fighting for their lives in a tense work environment, facing challenges from long lines of passengers eager to travel. As for air passengers, it gets frustrating for them to wait two to four hours at the checkpoint before their flight departs. This issue has come to the attention of everyone who was traveling for spring break or vacation. Since the government shutdown, there haven’t been any positive changes lately, as they are struggling to keep up with staffing and pay, along with wanting their voices to be heard at this stage of life. They are willing to fight for their rights, especially advocating for themselves while being overlooked due to budgeting. What matters the most in daily life is helping out those in need. According to ABC10, communities were willing to help unpaid TSA workers who were facing challenges in buying food. Also the local communities decided to support the released or unpaid TSA workers in every way possible to step in, such as sending gift cards, food, and posts of people thinking about TSA workers. Furthermore, TSA workers who have families can’t afford everything, like going to places for birthday celebrations.
Overall, some problems still need to be solved at this point in time, as there are limited workers in every airport this year due to various reasons. Still yet to come is the training newcomers of TSA must undergo at the airport, and adding more of them to the workforce and providing better benefits to move forward. One day, everything, including benefits, will come and airports will be back to the way they were before.Â
Editor’s note: the Her Campus at Pace editorial team also contributed to this story.