TSA Agents Lose Chairs as Most US Workers Stand All Day
The Trump administration removed chairs from TSA checkpoints citing 'professionalism,' highlighting a broader American norm of mandatory standing at work.
The Trump administration has ordered the removal of chairs from Transportation Security Administration travel document checking stations at US airports, arguing that standing reinforces professionalism and signals a commitment to both security and hospitality. The policy applies to TSA staff but not to border patrol or customs officers, who retained their seating. Critics note the distinction is difficult to explain on operational grounds.
The move draws fresh attention to a longstanding American workplace norm: unlike their counterparts in Europe and the United Kingdom, many US workers — particularly retail cashiers — have historically been required to stand for entire shifts. Labor law experts and workplace advocates point to a cultural thread rooted in Protestant work ethic traditions, which equates visible sitting with idleness in the eyes of consumers and employers alike.
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Supermarket cashiers have been at the center of this debate for years. Multiple 'right-to-sit' lawsuits have challenged mandatory standing policies over the decades, with mixed results. Change has been gradual, and seated cashiers remain the exception rather than the rule across most major US grocery chains.
One notable outlier is the German-owned discount retailer Aldi, which provides chairs to its cashiers and has been expanding its US footprint rapidly. The company's position reflects an efficiency argument: workers whose feet are not aching are more productive. Whether that rationale will influence federal workplace policy — or sway other large retailers — remains an open question as the debate over worker standing requirements gains renewed visibility.
Continue reading at Business | The Guardian.
