TSA: Most of its workers paid for at least 2 missed checks

The Transportation Safety Administration said that officers received most of their back pay on Monday, The Associated Press reported.

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The news came as long lines at major U.S. airports, including Houston, Atlanta and Baltimore, had begun to ease on Monday.

Approximately 61,000 TSA employees had been working without pay since a partial government shutdown went into effect on Feb. 14, CNN reported.

Collectively, employees have missed more than $1 billion in pay.

“Most TSA employees received a retroactive paycheck today that included at least two full paychecks covering pay periods 4 and 5 today,” Department of Homeland Security Acting Assistant of Secretary of Public Affairs Lauren Bis told USA Today in a statement. “A small population might see a slight delay due to a variety of reasons, including financial institution processing times or issues with their direct deposit. We are working aggressively with USDA’s National Finance Center to complete processing for the half paycheck they are owed from pay period 3 as soon as possible.”

Bis said that on March 29, 10.59% (3,101) of TSA workers called out of work nationwide, USA Today reported. The highest rate of callouts occurred on March 27, when 12.35% of workers missed work.

The shutdown led to travel delays and the possibility of airport closures as TSA workers called out of work, the AP reported.

Workers were already recovering financially since last autumn’s extended government shutdown, according to the news organization.

By midday Monday, even the longest wait times at most major airports were less than 30 minutes.

Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport had 75-minute delays on the TSA security lines early Monday, but waiting times had dwindled to nine minutes by midday, CNN reported.

At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, travelers waited as little as 3 minutes, according to the cable news outlet.