newstime digest

A descending chronological look at selected headlines from The Morrock News Service

11/16/01

AIRPORT SECURITY PACT APPROVED

A bipartisan agreement that would put the federal government in charge of airport security won U.S. Senate approval on Friday, and was expected to pass the House of Representatives as well. President Bush has said he'll sign the bill, which would make federal employees of about 28,000 baggage screeners now working for private contractors. . . . Republicans had resisted Democrats' efforts to put the screeners on federal payrolls, calling that an attempt to boost the campaign coffers of unions, which traditionally support Democratic candidates. . . . The bill provides that private firms could resume the work after three years, at the request of airports. Screeners hired by the feds must be U.S. citizens, and they won't be able to strike even if they belong to federal workers unions. . . . Among the bill's goals is to see 100 percent of bags inspected before airline flights.

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