Statement from SFO Airport Screeners

We the screeners at SFO have been part of the SPP (Screening Partnership Program), a pilot program: to have San Francisco International Airport run by a private sector company, Covenant Aviation Security LLC, CAS, since 2002. After seven years of this pilot project, it is apparent that it is a myth the private sector is better at providing security screening at airports than the Federal Government.

CAS is more motivated by profit and primarily interested in maintaining their money machine at the expense of their high turnover employees than providing security. One mistake and you’re gone. Where it should be retrain and retain, Covenant is hire and fire. We are also understaffed. Understaffed screeners are more apt to make mistakes resulting in their termination.

Also, there is confusion between Covenant Security procedures and TSA procedures that cause difficulties for recertification as we have some local procedures that differ from TSA, (the Federal Transportation Security Administration).

In order to keep their contract and impress the Federal Government, Covenant Security comes up with novel procedures, masquerading as innovations, which soon fade away after introduction.

After 911 the Federal Government took over the security at our airports from the Private Sector. Is there really any reason to return to the Private Sector?

We the screeners at SFO demand the San Francisco Airport Commission, TSA, and all the airlines represented at SFO, that after seven years, the time has come to end this Pilot Screening Partnership Program and we need to join the rest of the national Airport Screeners Community under the management of TSA, the Transportation Security Administration.