DFW will be one of 15 airports getting federal security screeners this spring
By Jonathan D. Salant
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Newly trained federal employees could start checking passengers and luggage this spring, Transportation Department officials said Monday in announcing that they will start hiring more than 30,000 security screeners.

Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said the first screeners could be at airports in April or May.

“I want to underscore my commitment to hire the best and the brightest,” Mineta said Monday.

The 15 airports to get federal security screeners first will be Anchorage, Alaska; Atlanta; Baltimore-Washington; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago O'Hare; Dallas-Fort Worth; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Louisville, Ky.; Minneapolis; Mobile, Ala.; New York Kennedy; Orlando, Fla.; San Francisco; and Spokane, Wash.

In addition, John Magaw, undersecretary for transportation security, said some airports now served by Argenbright Security Inc. may also be among the first to get federal screeners. The Transportation Security Administration is ending all of its contracts with the troubled security firm.

The federal screeners will be paid between $23,600 and $40,700 and receive 40 hours of classroom training and 60 hours of on-the-job training. Both the salaries and the training requirements are higher than current levels, part of the government's attempt to overhaul the low-paid, high-turnover positions.

A private company that specializes in employee recruitment, NCS Pearson of Eden Prairie, Minn., won a $103.4 million contract to find, test and hire the new federal workers.

The company will set up a Web-based system to recruit prospective employees and handle their job applications.

By Nov. 19, all screeners will be required by law to be federal employees rather than private-sector workers.

Magaw said he has not decided whether the federal screeners will be allowed to unionize. He said they will have limited whistle-blower protection if they come forward with complaints.

Federal managers will oversee security at all 429 commercial airports. Security agency spokesman Jonathan Thompson said an announcement on hiring new managers is expected within two weeks.

To meet the Dec. 31 timetable for screening all checked bags with explosive detection machines, the security agency is asking more companies to build the equipment because the two firms that now produce the machines can't construct them fast enough, Magaw said.

In addition, the security agency is looking at other technology to inspect checked bags, such as the machines now used at the White House and Capitol, Magaw said. They now do not meet Transportation Department requirements because they cannot automatically detect explosives. Instead, a machine operator must review each item.

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