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TSA: 6,000 Airport Screening Jobs to be Slashed by September

Thursday, May 1, 2003
(4:39 AM ET) (08:39 GMT)
The Associated Press

Rep. Harold Rogers, the Kentucky Republican who chairs the House Appropriations homeland security subcommittee, estimates screeners at a third of U.S. airports check an average of three passengers an hour. "TSA threw money at the employee and screening deadlines in a shotgun fashion and over-hired," Rogers said. "Congress mandated these reductions almost a year ago, and I am pleased TSA is finally starting to make progress."

Image Credit: The Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- AP
The government announced plans Wednesday to eliminate 3,000 more airport screening jobs by the end of September.

The cuts, coupled with 3,000 others announced in March, amount to about 11 percent of the 55,600 screeners employed. The moves will save the Transportation Security Administration an estimated $280 million, director James Loy said.

TSA is entering a new stage in its maturation," Loy said of the 17-month-old agency.

The first 3,000 cuts will be made by May 31, the rest by September 30. Loy said the TSA will try to trim the work force through attrition and putting some workers on part-time hours.

Loy said the cuts won't diminish security, though it's possible they could add some time to the screening process. A 10-minute wait limit is still the goal, he said.
(More: CNN.com)
2003 © The Associated Press.

Dan