TSA workers’ union says Trump administration ordered staff to remain standing at airport checkpoints, removing all chairs

The American Federation of airline and airport unions said the Transportation Security Administration directed checkpoint staff at airports to remain standing after chairs were removed from screening areas, a change the union said is affecting morale and working conditions. The union’s response followed a reported administration move that removed chairs for TSA staff at airport security checkpoints, according to The Guardian.

The report said the order was framed internally as part of an effort to “reinforce professionalism” at checkpoints, and union officials characterized the directive as disruptive. Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of, said in the report that “people are pissed,” reflecting the union’s reaction to the standing requirement.

Union officials said they have launched a campaign seeking the return of seating for checkpoint personnel, arguing that the ability to sit is a basic accommodation for staff performing repetitive, high-volume duties over long shifts. The report described the union’s effort as aimed at reversing what it characterized as an across-the-board removal of seating at checkpoints.

The change was presented by the administration, as described in the reporting, as an operational and workplace-standard adjustment, rather than a reassignment of screening functions. The report did not provide details on whether TSA issued a formal written directive publicly or how broadly the change has been implemented across all airports.

The dispute also arrives as TSA faces continued workforce and operational pressures, but the report focused on the specific chair-removal decision and the union’s pushback. The union’s campaign emphasizes that staff health and fatigue management are practical issues tied to how airports run screening lanes, not only worker satisfaction.

The next steps will depend on whether TSA provides further clarification about the policy’s scope and rationale, and whether the agency engages with union leadership to address the dispute over seating at checkpoints. No court action or formal administrative filing was identified in the reporting provided to this desk.