Southwest Airlines flight attendants object to security procedures
Southwest Airlines flight attendants union Transport Workers Union Local 556 wrote a letter to Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano and Transportation Security Administration Administrator John Pistole objecting to "double standards" in the TSA's new security procedures, compared with pilots and ground workers (Examiner.com, 29-Nov-2010).
Transport Workers Union: "In spite of the invaluable role that flight attendants play in air security, flight attendants are now being subjected to Advanced Imaging Technology or enhanced body pat-downs that are not only invasive but also humiliating and embarrassing for front line security professionals who put their lives on the line everyday. Enhanced TSA screening of flight crews is not only unnecessary, it is a waste of TSA resources that should be directed at real security risks. Airline personnel who have completed required FBI background checks are not threats to air security. The TSA currently allows ground personnel security badges that allow them to utilise back-door entry into airports and had conducted biometric testing for pilots in an effort to create dedicated, non-invasive and more efficient security screening," Thom McDaniel, President Local 556. Source: Examiner.com, 29-Nov-2010.