Voting begins on May 23 in a renewed effort to determine which of two labor unions will win the right to collectively bargain with the U.S. Transportation Security Administration in behalf of the nation’s 44,000 airport security screening employees.

An initial vote that concluded on Tuesday, April 19, failed to determine a clear winner between the competing unions, the American Federation of Government Employees and the National Treasury Employees Union.

The AFGE received 8,369 votes, or 43 percent, while the NTEU received 8,095 votes, or 41 percent. The choice of no union received 3,111 votes, or 16 percent, according to the government.

The Federal Labor Relations Authority, which conducted the union representation election, has scheduled a runoff election. The voting will be done from May 23 through June 21, with results to be announced by the FLRA on June 23, TSA spokesman Luis Casanova said Sunday. Whichever union receives a majority of the votes is to be declared the winner.

It represents one of the country’s largest efforts to collectively organize federal workers, involving government security operations at more than 450 airports.

Regardless of which union wins, the federal transportation security officers will not be allowed to strike or to participate in any type of work slowdown. Supervisory personnel are not part of the TSA work force that is to be union-represented.

Collective bargaining only will be done on a national level, not locally, the TSA said.

At Dayton International Airport, about 100 of the approximately 120 TSA employees stationed there are eligible to vote.

The law that created the TSA gives the agency’s administrator sole authority to establish the terms and conditions of employment for security screeners at airports nationwide, agency officials said.

TSA Administrator John S. Pistole said in February that the screeners could vote on whether to choose a union for collective bargaining. Pistole said they would be allowed to bargain on non-security issues including work shifts, transfers, vacation time and performance awards.

But, he said they cannot bargain in any category that could affect security, such as security policies and deployment of security personnel and equipment; pay and pensions; proficiency testing, job qualifications and discipline standards.

Wages, health benefits and pensions for such employees typically are set by law.

TSA employees would not be required to join the union or pay dues.

Union representation could improve employee morale and help the TSA by giving its screeners a voice in how they could do their jobs more effectively, college professors who track labor issues said. But some lawmakers in Congress who oppose unionization questioned why TSA workers need a union and whether it could affect airport security.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com.