GOP Rep. Mica: 'Big Labor' has taken over 'army' of TSA screeners

The chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and a staunch critic of the Transportation Security Administration slammed the agency's union election.

The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) won the right to collectively bargain for the TSA in a runoff election that was concluded Thursday.

But Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) said travelers will lose as a result of the election.

“The traveling public will be absolutely delighted to learn that big labor has captured the TSA’s army of airport screeners," Mica said in a statement released by his office. "With the American Federation of Government Employees union selection, the nation’s largest union for government workers will collectively bargain for nearly 50,000 of America’s airport screeners."

Mica, who called for privatizing airport security screeners, said the TSA was "a federal agency burdened with 3,800 TSA bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., who make an average of $105,000 per year, and another 9,600 TSA administrative personnel across the nation.

“While collective bargaining for airport screeners may sound like a solution to a dysfunctional workplace, only a dramatic overhaul of TSA will provide a proper structure for improved employment conditions, employee respect, and the best possible security operations," he continued. “The Obama administration today can check the box on another boost for big labor and a significant setback for the traveling public."