Part-timers to the rescue
Ben Godar
The Transportation Security Administration is planning to bolster its
staff at the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport by hiring part-time
baggage screeners.
The airport is one of 34 nationwide that will be adding part-time
personnel to work during peak travel times, TSA spokesman Nico
Melendez said. While it has not been determined how many screeners
will be hired to work in Burbank, Melendez said the part-timers will
balance out the layoffs of full-time employees in late April. Eight
local screeners were laid off as part of a reduction of 6,000
nationwide.
“When we announced the job cuts, we said we’d offset those cuts
with the hiring of part-time workers,” Melendez said. “This is just
fulfilling that promise.”
While he would not say the TSA is dissatisfied with the current
speed at which travelers move through the screening process, Melendez
said the part-time screeners will help prevent long lines during peak
hours.
“We understand the public has a need to get through security in a
speedy manner,” he said. “We don’t want to delay them because of our
lack of customer service.”
Airport spokesman Victor Gill said he was not aware of any recent
complaints about the speed of the screening process at the Burbank
Airport. Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Gill said expanding
the screening area and adding more lanes has kept travelers from
experiencing longer waits in spite of a more thorough screening
process.
Because the airport’s voluntary curfew requests that airlines not
fly out before 7 a.m., Gill said the peak time for screeners is
between about 6:30 and 7:30 a.m.
“That’s the only time we have 10 airplanes trying to board at
once,” he said.
TSA officials were accepting applications for the positions
through Tuesday, but Melendez said with background checks and other
procedures it could be a couple of weeks before they have a pool of
applicants.
After passing the background check, candidates must complete 44
hours of classroom training and 60 hours of on-the-job training.
The screeners will earn between $11.30 and $16.96 per hour based
on experience and other factors, and TSA officials said they would
also be eligible for federal benefits.