Airport security jobs open
By Jaymes Song
Associated Press
Hundreds of people will be hired as federal security screeners at Hawai'i airports next year as part of the federal government's plan to take over aviation security checkpoints, aviation officials said yesterday.
FAA: www.faa.gov/ USA Jobs: www.usajobs.opm.gov/homeland.htm
Anywhere from 600 to 800 people in Hawai'i will be among 28,000 screeners hired nationwide, said Tweet Coleman, spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration in the Pacific.
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The new positions are the result of the aviation security bill President Bush signed into law Nov. 19, and workers will be hired under the new federal Transportation Security Administration within the Department of Transportation.
The law calls for all screening operations, now run by private security companies, to be under federal control within a year, with all 28,000 screeners on the federal payroll. After three years, airports can shift to nonfederal security systems if they meet certain conditions, but they will remain under federal supervision.
A security screening applicant must be a U.S. citizen, be proficient in English, be a high school graduate or have a general education diploma, have certain basic aptitudes and physical abilities and pass a background investigation.
Coleman said preference will be given to military veterans and displaced aviation workers.
Current security screeners, who work for private companies, will also have to apply for the federal jobs.
As many as 60 percent of the current staff may lose their jobs because of the new U.S. citizenship and English requirements, said Joe Guyton, Honolulu International Airport's airline security coordinator.
Coleman said about 25 percent of the present screeners in Honolulu do not speak English fluently. That percentage is as high as 74 percent at some East Coast airports.
Security screeners at Honolulu International Airport are currently provided by the security firm International Total Services Inc. Officials at ITS could not be reached for comment.
Guyton said new federally trained screeners will improve security at airports by catching trained terrorists or others who might disrupt flights.
Coleman said the screener positions pay between $25,000 and $30,000 a year. Workers in Hawai'i also will receive a 25 percent cost-of-living differential.
