TSA to Eliminate Chairs at Document-Check Stations, Union Objects
The TSA will remove chairs from the boarding-pass and ID checkpoints, forcing agents to stand, a move denounced by their union as unsafe.
Airport security officers will no longer be permitted to sit while checking boarding passes and identification, as the Transportation Security Administration strips chairs from those workstations nationwide. The American Federation of Government Employees TSA Council 100 argues the removal endangers workers, who spend long hours on hard surfaces without ergonomic support. The policy shift arrived shortly after David Cummins was confirmed as TSA Administrator and launched the Horizon 25 initiative, which seeks to broaden PreCheck, introduce new technology, and privatize parts of the screening process.
Union officials say the change was first noticed on a Friday afternoon and that no official notification was given to the union or its local chapters. While the agency emphasizes efficiency and passenger experience, it has not explained whether the standing rule is directly tied to the broader reform agenda. The chairs have already been taken away in most commercial airports, prompting criticism that the move treats basic safety as a privilege rather than a right.
