The Transportation Security Administration said Friday it is ending its labor agreement covering airport baggage screeners.
The move came despite a federal judge blocking the agency's earlier attempt this year.
TSA said it would discard its 2024 collective bargaining agreement next month.
The labor contract signed last year was scheduled to run until 2031.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem concluded that allowing collective bargaining and exclusive representation for screening officers undermines efficient use of taxpayer funds and limits the flexibility needed to protect air travelers, according to TSA.
The agency also said it will no longer use its payroll system to deduct union dues from screeners' paychecks.
The American Federation of Government Employees denounced the move, vowing to sue.
"Merely 30 days ago, Secretary Noem celebrated TSA officers for their dedication during the longest government shutdown in history. Today, she's announcing a lump of coal right on time for the holidays: that she's stripping those same dedicated officers of their union rights," AFGE National President Everett Kelley said in a statement.
"Secretary Noem's decision to rip up the union contract for 47,000 TSA officers is an illegal act of retaliatory union-busting that should cause concern for every person who steps foot in an airport," he added.
In March, the Department of Homeland Security announced it would do away with the 2024 contract, but AFGE sued, arguing DHS was retaliating against the union's other lawsuits against the Trump administration.
DHS said the change was to remove "bureaucratic hurdles that will strengthen workforce agility, enhance productivity and resiliency, while also jumpstarting innovation."
In a statement, DHS said there were more TSA employees focused on union work than on screening passengers.
No workers would be fired as a result of the change, DHS said in March.
Although the litigation is still pending, a federal judge halted DHS and TSA from implementing the proposed rollback in June, preventing the agencies from moving forward while the legal challenge plays out.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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