DATE: October 22, 2021
TO: All Personnel: LGA, ISP, HPN, SWF
FROM: Robert A. Duffy, Federal Security Director: LGA, ISP, HPN, SWF
SUBJECT: Weekly Update Memo
I hope that all of you and your families are doing well and staying healthy.
I want to start this week’s memo by advising all of you that DFSD Matt McKeon was asked by DAO Assistant Administrator Susan Tashiro if he would serve as the Federal Coordinator at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico in support of Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), and Matt agreed to the request. Matt will be leaving on October 28 and be in New Mexico for November and December, unless the refugees have all been relocated, in which case Matt will return early. Matt will be relieving the FSD in Las Vegas, Karen Burke, and our former Administrative Officer, now AFSD-MS in Las Vegas, Alex Stungurys, who have been working at Holloman AFB since the start of OAW in September. Good luck Matt in this assignment.
Please be advised that this year’s Veteran’s Day breakfast will be held on Sunday, November 7, 2021 in the Terminal B conference room from 0800 – 1300. All of our military veterans, at all four of our airports, are invited to attend and enjoy a good breakfast along with plenty of good company.
In keeping with our Veteran’s Day theme, I want to remind all of our military veterans that we are asking for volunteers who are interested, to submit a photo of themselves in their TSA uniform and a photo in their military uniform. As we did last year, we will have those photos shown on the variable message boards in Terminal B at LGA. We did this for the first time last year and it was a very popular initiative, so are doing it again this year. Thanks to Frank Boateng at LGA for this great idea last year and to STSO Delilah Rodriguez for bringing Frank’s idea to my attention. Anyone wanting to participate is asked to contact our Stakeholder Manager, Kristen Jonus, for details and submitting photos.
I talked to LGA General Manager Tony Vero yesterday. Tony advised me that as of Monday, November 1, 2021, all TSA personnel assigned to Terminal A will need to change their parking location from the Terminal A parking lot to the lot behind Hangar 7 North. The walk is short and the move is due to the fact that passenger volume at LGA is growing. Since the parking lot and terminal B and C garages are significant sources of revenue to the airport, we must move to this new location. If you are looking at the Terminal A rotunda from the front of the building, Hangar 7 is the large building to your left. From the parking lot behind Hangar 7 North, walk around the end of the building nearest to the water, cross the street near the bus shelter and into the Terminal A rotunda. The construction material currently in that parking lot will be removed next week.
GM Vero also advised that the PANYNJ projections for LGA are very positive for the rest of October and November. October has seen up to 65,000 passengers daily traveling through LGA (arrivals and departures). That explains why we are now screening well over 30,000 passengers a day on average. In November, the daily average number of passengers is expected to be 90,000 traveling through LGA or an average of 45,000 departing passengers for us to screen. The increase in November is expected due to the holidays and the ending of the airlines slot waivers that went into effect early in the pandemic. In October LGA has had an average of 700 flights a day (350 arrivals and departures). November will average 1,000 flights a day (500 arrivals and departures). This is excellent news for LGA as we have been very slow to recover from the pandemic.
As a result of this projected growth, we will continue to hire new classes of officers every two weeks. Our hiring efforts will continue at least through the end of December and beyond if necessary. We just graduated a class today and are proud to announce that Officer Armond Cox was the Honor Graduate of his class. Congratulations Armond on that outstanding accomplishment. We are all proud of you for that great achievement.
While on the subject of training, congratulations to STSO Helen Lanfranco on her selection to the Training Unit. All the best Helen for continued success in your new assignment. We are proud of you.
As we gain momentum in our E3 career program, our E3 team held a workshop at LGA in Terminal B on October 19 from 0800 – 1500. The event was well attended as 72 officers came to the workshop to ask questions and receive help in submitting applications. Based on such a positive turnout, another E3 officer workshop will be held on November 6 at LGA, Terminals A and D from 0800 – 1500. I want to recognize the following people on our E3 Career Progression Team who worked hard to conduct the workshop: AFSD-S Ron Arroyo, I-Band TSMs Chantal Pardo, Sandra Bissoon and Sergio Blanco. H-Band TSMs Aruna Gohel, Sean Holian, Charlie Link and Richard Mui. STSOs Caleb Bienne and Ricot Michel and our Labor Relations specialist John Kolk. Thank you all for your leadership, teamwork and willingness to help our E-Band personnel in their career progression. Excellent work by all and I am very proud of all of you for your selfless service to our officers.
Yesterday, TSA-HQ held a conference call, and the lead topic was the vaccination mandate. The deadline for all TSA personnel to be fully vaccinated is November 22, 2021. Fully vaccinated is defined as two weeks after receiving your second shot of either Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or a single shot of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine. The final date to get vaccinated and fall into compliance with this mandate is Monday, November 8, 2021, which is 14 days before the November 22 deadline. Please be advised that if you are not fully vaccinated by November 22, 2021, the TSA will begin the disciplinary process against you. Discipline will be progressive starting with an LOR, then increasing days of suspension and finally termination of employment for anyone not falling into compliance. Our goal is to ensure the health and safety of our workforce, not to discipline employees. COVID-19 is a deadly disease, so please give serious consideration to this requirement to continue your TSA career. To everyone, please enter your vaccination status on the DHS website.
There is a process to petition for an exemption to the vaccine mandate based on the grounds of a medical condition or religious beliefs. To request such an exemption, you must use the ACMS form available on the DHS website. If you have already requested an exemption, you must reapply using the updated form (2.0) on the DHS website. All decisions regarding religious exemption and medical exemption requests will be decided at the headquarters level as will all discipline. No discipline will be imposed on anyone seeking a religious or medical exemption during the adjudication process. If a religious or medical exemption is declined, then those employees will be given 14 days to receive their first vaccine.
With the continuously growing number of new officers entering our workforce, I ask our leaders from the LTSOs to I-Band TSIs to our supervisors in Mission Support up to our AFSDs, to provide all of the people in your charge with a clear sense of purpose, direction and motivation. Communicate continuously with your people what is needed and expected of them and listen to their ideas and concerns. Encourage people to ask for help. Be optimistic in your outlook. Be humble, you won’t always have all of the right answers. Give credit for success to others and accept full responsibility for the failures. It is an honor and a privilege to lead other people. Be a leader of good character, virtue and honor.
Saint Pope John Paul II once said that every person is unique, precious and unrepeatable. Let those in your charge know you care about them, look out for their well-being and set them up for success. Thank you for your continued dedication to the TSA mission and for your service to our Nation.
Respectfully,
Bob Duffy
