PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERS FOR AIRPORT  SECURITY
There is overwhelming evidence that highly  professional public-
private partnerships work in high-threat European  countries, says 
Kenneth P. Quinn, former chief counsel to the Federal  Aviation 
Administration.
The European system compares favorably to the  unfunded mandate to 
provide security at airports that is put on American  airlines, 
says Quinn:
o There, the screening workforce is about 15 percent  public 
and 85 percent private, and wages are often 60  percent 
higher -- here, wages are too low.
o There, turnover is around 15 percent; here, it  often 
exceeds 100 percent.
o There, national governments impose strict training,  with 
36 hours' classroom time and up to 200 hours' airport  
training -- here, we require 12 hours' classroom and  only 
40 hours' on-the-job training.
There, proof of European Union member-state  citizenship is often 
required of workers. Here, resident-alien status  suffices. 
There, federal governments license the companies and  their 
workers. Here, all security responsibilities fall on  carriers, 
with no federal certification.
Disparaging and certainly nationalizing the private  workforce at 
U.S. airports -- which by all accounts performed  properly on 
Sept. 11 -- will cause the current system of contract  workers to 
break down, as workers look for new jobs or transfer  to more 
secure ones.
President Bush has asked Congress not to tie his  hands by 
preventing him from turning to the private sector,  saying: 
"Giving the government flexibility to use private  contractors 
will facilitate transition to the new system, promote  better 
screening services through competition, and ensure  that security 
managers can move swiftly to discipline or remove  employees who 
fail to live up to the rigorous new  standards."
Source: Kenneth P. Quinn, "Nationalization won't  work," USA 
Today, October 26, 2001.
 
 
 
Gary T. Schoen,  CFA
Frontier Investment Management Co.
(TEL) 972.934.2590
(FAX)  972.934.0002www.frontierinvest.com 

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