TSA officers face paycheck and potential privatization uncertainties

Airport security proposal leaves some worried

20 airports around the nation have privatized airport security, and White House officials say this could come to more airports. Not everyone, however, is onboard with the proposal. FOX 10's Megan Spector has more.

PHOENIX - TSA officers are facing a two-front battle: a new push to privatize the agency, as well as the mystery and confusion over whether they’ll continue to get paid.

Local perspective:

With the partial government shutdown still in effect, TSA officers across the country have been sitting with uncertainty for months. While the security lines at Sky Harbor may be clear, for the officers staffing them, the future is anything but.

"I don’t understand what we’re supposed to do," said Sky Harbor TSA officer Pascual Contreras.

TSA officers are set to get paid this Friday, but after that, they say they’re right back to paycheck uncertainty.

"There is no guarantee of being paid as long as the shutdown continues and we are still in fact in a shutdown," Contreras said.

Surpassing the 50-day mark, it’s reached a breaking point for many.

"You know this is supposed to be my career. This is where I’m supposed to retire. Oddly enough I’ve been putting out applications. I’m putting applications out there," said Sky Harbor TSA officer Martina Santana.

"The impact is that when they leave, the burden is on everybody else to pick up the slack," Contreras said.

Big picture view:

The domino effect hit airports nationwide, with high numbers of call outs and security wait times skyrocketing.

To cut costs, the Trump administration’s proposed budget is pushing to cut thousands of TSA jobs, and privatize TSA by requiring smaller airports to use contracted screeners. A move some supporters believe will prevent future shutdown disruptions.

"Privatization can help. Private firms would ensure that they will, you know, get paid," said Emory Professor Ramnath Chellappa.

20 airports in the country are already handled by private companies.

Analyst Weighs In:

Policy analyst Steve Swedberg with Competitive Enterprise Institute says there shouldn’t be a federal monopoly on airport screening. He encourages a move towards privatization and says, "That way, aviation security remains stable and reliable regardless of political circumstances."

But some still have concerns.

"We’re trying to secure the airways so people can travel safely. Who can guarantee that with a private company that’s going to put their profits over potentially lives," Contreras said.

"They’re saying it’s the same job, it’s the same job. But the benefits are not as great. The pay probably won’t be as great," Santana said.

What's next:

Congress will hold hearings about this budget request later this month.