TSA Removes Checkpoint Chairs Starting Sept. 25, Union Says

The Transportation Security Administration ordered chairs removed from travel-document check stations on September 25, 2026, according to the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the union representing TSA officers. The change hit checkpoints nationwide the same day, union officials told The Guardian.

What did TSA change on September 25?

TSA pulled seating from the podiums where officers check travelers' identification and boarding documents, replacing the chairs with standing mats, Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of AFGE TSA Council 100 and president of AFGE Local 1040 in Dallas-Fort Worth, told the Guardian. Document-check podiums were one of only two checkpoint positions where officers could sit; the agency did not touch chairs at X-ray stations because equipment manufacturers recommend sitting while operating the machines, Jones said.

Why does TSA say it removed the chairs?

TSA's written order defending the move argued that "maintaining a standing posture helps reinforce professionalism, attentiveness and active engagement with passengers" and that the policy "reinforces both our security posture and our commitment to hospitality," according to the Guardian's report. The agency did not negotiate the change with the union before implementing it, Jones said.

By the numbers

• Sept. 25, 2026 — date TSA issued the order pulling chairs from checkpoint document-check stations, per AFGE.
• 2 — number of checkpoint positions (document-check podiums and X-ray stations) where officers previously had seating; only one retains it.
• Millions — passengers TSA officers screen daily, a figure AFGE TSA Council 100 president Hydrick Thomas cited in defending the officers' prior work performance while seated.

How are TSA officers and the union responding?

"People are pissed," Jones said, describing a surge of calls and messages from members after the chairs disappeared mid-shift. "The amount of phone calls I received is almost the same as if everybody got fired all at once, almost similar to when we have government shutdowns," he said.

Hydrick Thomas, president of AFGE TSA Council 100, pushed back on the professionalism rationale directly: "Our officers screen millions of people a day and they do it right, sitting or standing," Thomas said in a statement. "Nobody who works a checkpoint asked for this. Nobody who flies asked for this."

What happens next for TSA workers?

AFGE has launched a campaign pressing TSA to restore seating at document-check podiums, according to the Guardian. Jones said the union was not consulted before the policy took effect and that the change was implemented unilaterally. No timeline for a TSA response or reversal was reported.

The dispute adds to existing friction between the agency and its unionized workforce, which Jones said is already strained; he compared the reaction among members to the anxiety seen during past government shutdowns affecting TSA pay.