DATE: August 27, 2020
TO: All Personnel: LGA, HPN, ISP, SWF
FROM: Robert A. Duffy, Federal Security Director: LGA, HPN, ISP, SWF
SUBJECT: Message to Workforce Concerning Harassment
This year has proven to be extremely challenging to all of us. Clearly the COVID-19 pandemic has been the biggest threat to us from a health and financial perspective. Many of us have been directly impacted by COVID-19. It has also caused financial hardship to families who have been out of work or had businesses close. Some of our people have been affected by the MTA shut down overnight in New York City. Many of our people have been impacted by the rioting and civil disorder in their New York City neighborhoods. Our children had to be kept out of school.
Through all of these difficulties, we have overcome the obstacles and continued to carry on with the TSA mission; working together as a team. We have had successes in opening the new Terminal B at LGA and adapted our training to virtual from actual. We adjusted schedules to afford everyone more time off from work, and have made the adjustment to working from home for our Mission Support team while still meeting the administrative and operational needs of our four airports. Meetings are now on a conference call rather than in-person. This was all accomplished through the outstanding efforts of all of you working together.
It is in that spirit of teamwork and unity of purpose that I take this opportunity to remind everyone of the need for all of us to maintain a professional and respectful work environment at all times. That includes treating everyone with common courtesy, dignity and respect all day, every day. Administrator Pekoske made it clear in 2018 that there is zero tolerance for any harassment in our workplaces. Harassment can come in many forms, and includes unwelcome conduct that creates an intimidating, offensive or hostile environment. Various forms of harassment include:
· Race
· Ethnicity
· Religion
· Sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy)
· National Origin
· Age (40 and over)
· Disability
· Genetic Information
· Reprisal
Be assured that harassment of any kind in any of our workplaces at LGA, HPN, ISP and SWF will never be tolerated. If you feel you are being harassed, report it immediately to both your supervisor and to Nushrat Amin in Employee Relations. All allegations will be taken seriously and acted upon immediately.
I am responsible for your safety and well-being. I take that responsibility and obligation seriously. Let’s take the same determination and perseverance used to overcome the challenges we have all faced this year, and apply them to caring about and respecting each other.
Thank you all for your attention to this important matter.
Robert A. Duffy
Federal Security Director
