The Department of Homeland Security, through the Transportation Security Administration, has implemented its new Transportation Security Compensation Plan, providing pay equity for all TSA employees. This plan makes TSA's workforce pay structure comparable to their federal counterparts on the general schedule pay scale and with regular step increases.
“Fighting for fair pay of the TSA workforce has been one of my highest priorities and I am proud that we have accomplished this critical goal. Pay equity is an important milestone but it is not a capstone, and I look forward to continuing to support the entire DHS workforce alongside our partners in Congress and across the Administration,” U.S> Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced in a news release.
According to the release, the Transportation Security Compensation Plan, also known as "pay equity," was officially put into effect for all TSA personnel by DHS through the TSA. Mayorkas pledged to invest in the TSA workforce, and this plan upholds that promise by giving TSA employees a modernized pay structure on par with that of their federal government counterparts on the general schedule pay scale and includes regular step increases and a clear path for pay mobility and growth.
The TSA's frontline employees have been paid less than other federal employees ever since the agency was founded 20 years ago, the release reported.
Since the new pay plan was announced in December, the TSA has seen a significant drop in employee attrition rates and an increase in application interest for all TSA job categories, the release said. All TSA non-executive personnel, including uniformed officers, vetting and intelligence analysts, inspectors, cybersecurity specialists, federal air marshals and canine handlers, are covered by the new compensation plan for TSA employees.
The release announced that, since October 2022, the TSA's attrition rate has decreased by 61%. Fiscal years 2019 and 2022 saw corresponding attrition rates of 18% and 19.1%. The TSA frontline workers, such as transportation security officers, explosives detection canine handlers, transportation security inspectors and federal air marshals, received 96% of the budget for the new compensation plan.
The release also discussed the fiscal year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Act, which was enacted by Congress in December 2022 and signed by President Joe Biden. It provided money to guarantee TSA employees get paid at the same rates as their federal counterparts. TSA switched over in full to the Transportation Security Compensation Plan July 2.
