UPDATE: TSA responds to "Majority of TSA members at BWI, Dulles fail recertifiction tests," June 24
By: Barbara Hollingsworth
Local Opinion Editor
06/26/09 12:05 AM EDT
TSA Statement:
At TSA, our people are our highest priority. TSA will continue to work with unions to educate them on our standards and look forward to an exchange of information in the best interests of our employees. The union statements and figures recently released are inaccurate and we will work with them to correct false information.
During the PASS 2009 performance period, TSA transitioned away from contractors conducting assessments to TSA employees conducting them. This was in direct response to a recommendation made by TSA’s employee advisory board, the National Advisory Council, last year. The assessments are now being conducted by people who know the screening procedures the best.
All evaluators completed a rigorous training course in which they learned how to objectively and consistently evaluate an officer’s performance. The evaluators have been given the necessary tools to ensure fair and consistent evaluations are being conducted at all airports nationwide. The purpose of these evaluations is to ensure that officers have the necessary skills to protect the traveling public.
We continue to implement new and innovative ways to train, test and motivate our workforce to perform at a high level. Under the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) of 2001, TSA is required to conduct an annual proficiency review of security officers to ensure that critical security standards are met. TSA’s Performance Accountability and Standards Systems (PASS) system provides the annual proficiency review and rewards security officers who perform at a high level.
The current passing rate is more than 80 percent and consistent with that of previous years. Officers who do not pass an evaluation on the first try are remediated and re-tested. At the end of the remediation process, almost all officers pass the evaluation. The percentage of officers who are separated for failure to meet PASS requirements is less than one percent.
Background on PASS
PASS reinforces organizational values through measuring employee performance in technical proficiency, customer service, communication, teamwork, ongoing education, continuous improvement, dependability, professionalism, and strong leadership competencies. PASS is a transparent system, and each metric is defined and validated in advance and shared with the workforce before the beginning of the performance period. Employees participate in quarterly performance discussions to ensure the individual’s performance is aligned with organizational objectives and performance.
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