Exercise R Us

Question:

> Directed Towards Corporate Officers,

Do they read this newsgroup?? > Our > flying benefits are excellent, our schedules are flexible, and just > the chance to work with aircraft and be part of such a team at the > airport is a great experience for all of us out here.  

Yeah, that sounds abusive >        This letter is directed to everyone in Atlanta concerned about > Safety in ASA and the Operation that we conduct.  We are desperately > understaffed and our so-called "training program" is minimal.  Our > training consists of taking our own rampers Out of the operation, only > to train, which leaves us even more understaffed, yet they get paid > the same for doing double the work

If they don’t take them during working hours, do you expect them to pay them overtime pay for taking them after work hours. What you are describing doesn’t sound out of the norm. I am also sure the airlines don’t have extra money for overtime. I think I just saw a report of one airline losing over $2 billion last year. . . . which we feel is totally > unfair.  

Unfair, maybe yes, maybe no.. Hardly "abusive" though makes us wonder just where all this > revenue really goes, because we are not seeing any of it.  Our > Christmas Party . . . we had to Pay out of our Own Pockets to have it,

Welcome to the real world…  We are Not allowed to > change shifts, even when there are 15 lines open and ready to fill for > that position, which we feel is ridiculous.  

Didn’t you just say that your current shift was understaffed? >One of our supervisors > recently had a Heart Attack while loading Several Aircraft . . . they > shouldn’t have to touch a bag, but that’s how understaffed we are.  

A supervisor had to load?? Ooooo. I would suggest you learn a bit about Dave Thomas.. The man started out working at a young age and NEVER stopped… Michael

Response:

Directed Towards Corporate Officers,        This e-mail is going to be an attempt to get some changes done at the DFW Operation going on for ASA.  This is a letter from the DFW Rampers working at ASA that would like to touch upon some issues that need to be heard.  First of all, I’d like to say some good things that we have going for us.  I would like to extend a Great Thanks for the wonderful job that you have provided us Rampers, we Love our jobs out here and with the group of guys that we got out here working as a team, and a Family even, we have become one of the Best ASA Hubs.  Our flying benefits are excellent, our schedules are flexible, and just the chance to work with aircraft and be part of such a team at the airport is a great experience for all of us out here.  It is that, our team work, and the friendships that we’ve made out here that have made us so effective in our growth with the company and expanding so quickly in such a short period of time.  With that said, I’d also like to point out some concerns that we have had, for quite a while.        This letter is directed to everyone in Atlanta concerned about Safety in ASA and the Operation that we conduct.  We are desperately understaffed and our so-called "training program" is minimal.  Our training consists of taking our own rampers Out of the operation, only to train, which leaves us even more understaffed, yet they get paid the same for doing double the work . . . which we feel is totally unfair.  It gets more interesting, however.  Ramp Management, has been unfair and demanding, yet they have kept waiting to staff us properly and expect us to be 100% safe, which is, impossible at the rate that we’re expanding.  We have found ourselves working flights, 5 people on a ramp (coordinators, loaders, cart runners, etc.), but working 7 planes.  Our understanding is that Each Aircraft should have at least 3 people, at least when pushing back.  When we have 3 to 4 flights leaving at once, and the pressure is on Us to meet On-Time-Performance, it’s just not possible.  That’s not even a Single Person to a Plane, yet Management expects us to be "Safe" and use 2 wing-walkers on Every Plane.  This is Not going to happen, and it Is Not happening.  This Sunday, 1/27/02, it was even worse.  Look up the duty rosters if you can find them, we had 2 coordinators, and 1 loader . . . assigned to 7 planes on the 7:00 p.m. push.  Needless to say, it was crazy out there.  Our staffing was 28 people, when our Requirement was 43.  Rampers are constantly under pressure to perform, and we are loosing good people for problems that originate Above the Ramp.  We are Underpaid, Understaffed, and working on a very dangerous environment.  As short of people as we are, we have to rush in everything we do, and it’s just accidents waiting to happen.  Dallas has the Best ASA Crew, in Our Opinion, and our Performance speaks for itself.  The Rampers are dedicated adn take their jobs really personally.  At times it is difficult to keep that enegy up, because work morale is so low now a days.  Whenever we ask to have a get-together of sorts, there’s never enough money to even get a small group of people together to put some food together like once a month, should we earn it with performance on the ramp.  However, their offices are Extremely Nice . . . makes us wonder just where all this revenue really goes, because we are not seeing any of it.  Our Christmas Party . . . we had to Pay out of our Own Pockets to have it, and a lot of people felt that was no way for the company to thank their workers for a Year of Very Hard Work.  It just seems that Management does not care about their people, only our performance, and our opinions are listened to . . . but often ignored and hardly ever applied, as they do not like to work with us.  We are Not allowed to change shifts, even when there are 15 lines open and ready to fill for that position, which we feel is ridiculous.  One of our supervisors recently had a Heart Attack while loading Several Aircraft . . . they shouldn’t have to touch a bag, but that’s how understaffed we are.  If something is not done about this situation, more people will get hurt, and the possibility of workers suing the company is definitely there.        We would like for you to somehow send some people out here and ask the Rampers about the operation, take a survey, they will tell you how it is.  Our voices are not heard, and I’ve taken it upon myself to speak out in hopes that something, if anything, can be done to help our situation.  Management has known for Months in advance about the Growth expected in DFW, but have waitd until the Last Possible Moment to get new staffing into the operation.  If you send anyone to observe the operation, make sure nobody knows you’re coming, or they will just have a briefing ahead of time to keep everyone on their toes.  The worst time is Sunday on the p.m. shift, which I happen to work.  P.M. Rampers work a great deal of a.m. O.T. to relieve morning Rampers, but a.m. shift Rarely helps the p.m. Rampers, so our workers on the p.m. shift is Always understaffed and already tired from helping the mornings.  We are excellent in On Time Performance, I can’t emphasize that enough, but that’s only because of the talent we have on the ramp.  If we did things "by the book", dealys would stack enormously. If anyone gets this, and would like for us to write a list signed by Rampers , I’d be more than glad to provide one and Fax it to Atlanta to make sure we are heard.  Also, our privileges are being taken away.  Our Bids are being delayed "Indefinitely" until Management feels "Comfortable" with our new hires.  Our bids were supposed to be on February, but management has taken that away from us unjustly.  This is Their problem to fix, and we should not have to suffer for their incompetence to get their job done and staff us properly.  There are talks about dealying the bids for Months, and it’s getting to the point where it’s unacceptable.  Our groups of New Hires are taking Open Lines for Weekends Off, but older Rampers with more Seniority are getting stuck with lines they’d rather not have, so our Seniority has now been taken for granted as well.  There is no legitimate reason to delay bids, and again Management has failed to do their job and the Rampers are taking all the hits.  When equipment is broken, it is balmed Solely on the Ramp.  We are very short on equipment as it is, and as short staffed as we are, running equipment back and forth between aircraft, of course there’s bound to be damage, not to mention injuries and more of our guys going on O.J.I.  This shortage in equipment is only making our jobs all the more difficult and unsafe attempting to meet our On-Time Performance.        Safety Meetings . . . we Never have Safety Meetings.  We have our usual briefings, which are always repetitive, telling us common sense things like having 2 wing walkers at all times, be careful, etc. . . but it’s never possible with the staffing that we have.  However, Kyle, our Ramp Manager, has the nerve to send people home for pushing back planes with 1 wing walker . . . but when you’re staffed with 5 people to 7 planes, what else can one expect?  It’s a vicious circle that never ends.  We feel that maybe if someone from high above would Speak to Him, that one could Persuade him to change some things around in a more timely fashion.        Main Points: 1.    Under-staffed 2.    Under-Paid 3.    Seniority Taken Away 4.    Management is constantly Failing Us to help us do Our Job 5.    Management is not listening to our ideas, thus loosing good workers. 6.    Lack of Equipment 7.    No Safety Meetings 8.    No Proper Training 9.    Low Work Morale . . . need more Positive Re-Enforcement 10.  Need Pro-Activeness from Management, Ramp already has plenty.        Please help us, all we want to do is do our job that we love and enjoy.  This job is very easy to do, but only when we have the proper equipment and staffing to assist us.  The way DFW ASA Operation is Expanding is very exciting indeed.  We look forward to serving you for years to come and making ASA the Leading Regional Airline with the best we have to offer.  If you have ANY quetions, concerns, or comments regarding this e-mail, please feel free to get in touch with me at Any Time on this E-mail Address.  I’d like to keep my identity confidential, that way they don’t try to somehow get back at me for telling the Truth.  That’s a big thing here, people are pressured to keep bad things to a low, but we feel that if something is not said, it’s only going to get worse and it will be Our Fault for not speaking out.  It seems nobody else knows of how to contact ASA in DFW to report problems, concerns, and things of the sort.  Is there Any Way we can somehow implement that into the Hiring Program, that way New Hires as well as Seasoned Veterans have the Knowlege of how to get in touch w/a Higher Authority when our needs are not being met by our Immediate Superiors.        On a Personal Note, I’d like to say that our Night Supervisors are the Greatest Asset to our DFW Hub.  They work day in and day out, with us Out on the Ramp, and go far and beyond their duties to help us.  Kudos to them for their great work and effor that they’ve put in helping us be the hard workes we are on the P.M. Shift.  We have Much Ramp Pride, that’s our Motivation that keeps us going and working as hard as we do.  We would like to thank you for taking your time to reading this Huge E-mail, yet it is something that needed to be brought to your attention.  Again, if you have Any Questions, feel free to get in touch w/me and we can talk further about the Operation here at DFW.  Take care and good day. Sincerely,        ASA Ramp Agents My name is Carlos Diaz A.k.A. "Lead Loader."  Employee Number 7016258.  I’m NOT afraid to let myself be known, and

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Response: