From All Of Us To All Of You...

 ( the workforce that is.)

Have a safe and happy New Year.  May 2013 bring us all that we hoped for in 2012.

A quitter never wins!

We will continue to be your voice and your hope for a better tomorrow.

A Bit Of Advice From A Reader

After a cheery start to the day filled with threats and intimidation, I again call for a little self evaluation by Mister Jeff. I've included a decision making chart to help you out.

A boss creates fear - A leader creates confidence
A boss affixes blame - A  leader corrects mistakes
A boss knows all - A leader asks questions
A boss makes work drudgery - A leader makes work interesting
A boss is interested in him or herself - A leader is interested in others

Based on this little chart, you certainly are a boss. However, what we sorely need is a leader!

Thought For The Day!

Is it possible that our number one problem, rude behavior, is a reflection on our number one

manager?  What do you think, Mr. Jeff?  I think it's a good possibility.

( Reader Contribution)

And while we are at it, is anyone impressed with the managerial skills of our crack upper management team? 

There was a record number of call outs and no shows today.  (We do have family obligations even if you don't think we do.) 

The Shame Of All This..

is that management is not ashamed of what they have done to the workforce and their families!  The shame of all this is that CAS thinks that all this is just a good business strategy. The shame of all this is that SEIU helped stick it to the workforce.

Mr.Jeff states that the members of the workforce that "call out" and not show up for work are hurting their co-workers. That they are " just gaming the system." Our co-workers know what we are doing and why.

It appears that our stellar management team thought that it would be business as usual and that the workforce was going to make believe that they are appreciated.and valued.  CAS, your actions speak volumes!  We know how very little you care about us as individuals and as a head of households.

So, what does management do?  They completely block out PTO for the balance of the month of December.  No one can take a day off!  No one has any plans with their families, right?  Everyone will show up for work, right?  The workforce is showing our displeasure for this new contract and your heavy handed techniques.

Judge them by what they do!

It seems we now have a new union contract. The union says the membership has spoken and all is well with the world. Yet these words need a closer inspection. It appears that if a eligible union member failed to vote then the lack of a vote was considered a yes vote. This vote may have changed the outcome of the election. Is this legal? It may well be. Is this practice ethical? I think not!

Did the union intentionally neglect to tell the membership before the vote? It seems so. Is this ethical? I think not!

When the union says they are here to represent your interests, I think you need to evaluate this statement. I for one won't say no. I'll say HELL NO!

People will tell you anything, but what they do is the truth!

( Reader Contribution) 

Just How Has CAS Shown Any Kind Of Recognition..

to the workforce for our contribution?

Several months, ago CAS proposed a 500 dollar bonus to those employees who have been here for ten years or more.  It breaks down to 50 dollars per year, or, as we like to look at it, somewhere around .40 cents per day.  Eye opening and jaw dropping numbers, right? 

Now, the money that they had offered would have come from the reduction in the vacation accrual rate.  In other words, it would have cost them nothing!

Where's their "personal integrity"?  Where's their team spirit?  Appreciate us in a more meaningful way!

A Note To Mr. Jeff

People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads and the boss drives.

Theodore Roosevelt

It's possible a little self evaluation is needed.

(This was submitted by one of our readers!)

The "Mission"

So how does our believing in the "Mission" benefit CAS?   The biggest and most visible benefit is the contract longevity!  CAS has been riding this gravy train for more than 10 years.  Would this have been possible if we, the workforce, did not believe in the " Mission?"

We Didn't Just Get The Bird...

from CAS, but with the help of SEIU, we also received the shaft!

Is there anyone out there that doesn't see this cozy relationship between CAS and SEIU?

The letter from Jeff Pugh wants to recognize the SEIU lack-of-bargaining team for all of their efforts.  Really?  They worked hard for their own self interest. They totally caved in and stuck it to the very people they are suppose to bargain for and represent.  Shame on you!

So, what now?  CAS is left with an unmotivated, disillusioned, dispirited and totally unappreciated workforce.  Is that what you really want?   That is exactly what the management team has knowingly created.  Just how do you expect us to give world-class-customer-service?  The quality of the only product that CAS has to offer is based on the attitude and professionalism of the workforce.  

Once again, we will follow the lead of our private contractor versus TSA management team.  We are only in it for the money!

Your union at work!

Many of us are wondering just how this latest contract offer from CAS was able to pass.  With so many of us voting "no", how could this happen?  Well, it seems that if one was able to vote, but didn't, their missing vote was counted as a "yes."  What's that you say?  Huh?  WTF?  There's more than something shady going on here!  

Add that to the fact that the union was counting the votes themselves, unmonitored, and we all know that they wanted us to vote yes.  Imagine this:  all the "no" votes go into the pile on the left, and the "yes" votes we will keep right here.  Hey, wait a minute, did anyone see where that pile on the left went?  Gee, they must have been counted already! 

We expect and deserve more from a union that is supposed to look out for us.  They have been nothing other than self-serving.


BTW, we hear that the dues will be going up in January.  Why are we not surprised!

CAS giving us the bird once again!

On December 5th, CAS will once again be giving us the "bird"  for our combination Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner.  Rumor has it that CAS will not be handing out the year-end bonuses at this time.  It seems that they are planning to hand them out after the rank-and-file vote on their latest CBA offering.  This is a blatant attempt to influence the outcome of the vote!  Where's their Christmas spirit?

And as for the "surprise" visitor,  if it isn't the TSA Administrator, John Pistole, announcing a federal takeover of SFO -- please have him or her stay at home. 

And, speaking about the vote, we urge all of you to vote a resounding "no" on this insult.  

We all know that the union is pushing for passage on this offer saying, "this is the best that we can do."  How so?  Has anyone heard of our union submitting any kind of alternative offer to CAS?  They have only "accepted " this slightly better offer thinking, in their "small" minds, that they have actually won the battle.  They were, and still are, totally unqualified to bargain and represent us. 

And, will there be an outside unaffiliated monitor present during the counting of the votes?  We certainly hope so!

Uniform Allowance? Huh?

The TSA workforce has a uniform allowance that has just been raised to 446 dollars a year.

What uniform allowance do we get?  We can't even get them to buy us the shoes which are part of our uniform.



Greed at its finest! Just lies, lies, and more lies from our management and our union.


Under the labor agreement, TSA employees will see their uniform allowances nearly double to $446 per year.
http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/News/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1749

Weather Forecast For Tomorrow--Snow Job Heading Our Way!

SEIU will try to convince the workforce that the latest offer presented by CAS is fair and the best that they could do.  They will tell you that they recommend workforce approval.  

 

What they won't tell you is why they think that we cannot get a better deal.  They won't tell you that they want to start collecting dues again ASAP.  They won't tell you that this is a sellout on their part. 

 

Just what have they tried to do that benefits us?  This latest proposal benefits only CAS.

The question that should be asked is, "why have they given up? "  We expect more from this do-nothing-but-take-our-dues union.  Demand that they go back to the bargaining table, and this time really work for us.  Show the workforce what you have not shown us since day one.  SEIU, do the job as it is supposed to be done.  Earn your keep!

Where Your Dues Money Is Going!

This is one of the banner headlines flashing across the top of the page and comes from the Wall Street Journal. 

 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204707104578091030386721670.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

 
" The Service Employees International Union has emerged as the top outside spender on Democratic campaigns this year, surpassing even President Barack Obama's main super PAC.
SEIU, like other large entities that spend money on elections, doesn't have to disclose all of its expenditures to the Federal Election Commission. But according to disclosures it has made so far this year, the union has funded almost $70 million of campaign donations, television ads and get-out-the-vote efforts for Mr. Obama and other Democrats."

Vote "No" On This Lastest Offer From CAS!

This offer is full of take away items and give backs.

The company wants you to focus on the raise that they want to give you.  They want you to focus on the number of sick hours we will receive.  They want you to focus on the fact that they will pay 85% of any hospitalization costs if you are admitted for care.  They want you to focus on your PTO carryover and new accrual table.  It's a classic case of misdirection!

Focus on this instead:

Under this latest plan, you would lose your parking allowance.  Your PTO accrual rate would be lower than it was under the old plan.  Your up-front and out-of-pocket expenses for your medical coverage would skyrocket.  

The raise that they plan to give us would be funded by the givebacks and takeaway items.  Do the math!  Multiply the monthly parking allowance by twelve.  Compare the number of PTO days that we should have to what they are offering, and then multiply that by your hourly wage.  Your co-pay per medical visit would double.  Your hospitalization cost would go from zero to 15% of the total cost, to a maximum of $3,000 per year.  And that is just for someone with no dependents!  That number jumps to $6,000 for someone with a family.  

Now, total up these differences (along with some that we have not listed), and subtract from that total the amount of the raise that they plan to award us.  As you can see, they would be giving us a raise with the money that they are planning to take away from us.  Imagine this:  you take $2000 from me, then later tell me, "You're such a good friend, I'm going to give you $500 as a gift."  Can we see how they don't want us to focus on where the money is coming from?  Is it truly a benefit to us?

Now why would SEIU tell us to vote "yes" on an offer like this?  

Let's see!  CAS declared that negotiations were at an impasse.  An impasse means that we are now an "Open Shop."  An "Open Shop" means that no one has to pay any dues -- which means that the union is working for free.  Yikes! They can't have that!

So, what's a union to do?  How about accepting and endorsing an offer like this to get the dues money flowing again.  Never mind that it is a very bad deal for the employees; they want their dues.

We heard through the rumor mill that the union plans to put this offer up for vote early next week.  Spend some time reviewing for yourself the information that we have just presented. 

We strongly urge a "No" vote on this latest insult!

More Lies And Insults!

Just what has changed since last year?  Is it the greed factor?  Most certainly!

The stellar management team of CAS would have us believe that their LBFO is fair.  Fair to whom?   Definitely not to us!  

This company waits until October 27th to roll back the vacation accrual rate for the entire workforce.  That date just happens to coincide with the 10 year anniversary date of the first graduating class.  Isn't it wonderful to be so appreciated?  This is a totally classless act.

If CAS wants to compare what they are offering the workforce they should compare their package to what the TSA offers their employees.  Don't compare a package that was negotiated by SEIU with the City and County of San Francisco for the hotel workers.  Let's compare apples to apples.

Has the dollar value of the contract for SFO been decreased?  Positively not!

Has the size of the workforce increased?  Positively not!

So what is the root cause for the drastic changes to our benefits package?  Greed, greed and more greed.

A word of advice: Continuing with your lies and insults would be a big mistake.

We hope that you are enjoying....

the articles about Covenant Aviation that have been published by the SF Examiner this whole week.

If you would like additional information about how a for profit private contractor sticks it to their employees please feel free to explore our blog-site.  

The majority of our entries include links to information related to that particular posting.  As you will see these posting go back several years and, no, this is not a conspiracy.  Our posts truly reflect the attitudes and concerns of the workforce.

The Newspaper Articles That Came Out Today!

Here are the links in case you haven't seen them.

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2012/08/company-neglects-safety-sfo-bag-screeners-say

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2012/08/whistle-blowers-fear-retribution-employer?category=16

http://www.sfexaminer.com/local

Could any of this possibly be true?

What say you?

Vote No on the LBFO from CAS

Let's address these topics in the order in which they were presented.

The relationship between CAS and the workforce:  The relationship has always been "Us against Them."  Covenant has never shown an ounce of concern about the issues that we have as individuals and as heads of households.  Who does Mike Boles think he is kidding?  If our relationship with CAS is better than those of other companies with CAS, we pity the other companies.

Mike Boles has the gall to state that the combined wage and benefits package far exceeds the TSA minimums.  Our benefits package is way below what our TSA workforce counterparts receive.  We have facts and figures to back up our statement.

If CAS were to lose this contract, the only losers would be CAS!  The workforce would still be here, minus the overpaid excess baggage of upper management.  We don't foresee another private contractor getting this contract.  SFO is the sixth largest airport in the country, and SFO would fit nicely into the TSA empire.  After all, we are TSA trained and certified and have worked closely with the local TSA managers at SFO.  Sounds like a perfect fit to us!

Why would the TSA expose themselves to the same low morale and unmotivated workforce that are inevitable with a private contractor?  As for the issue of our seniority not being recognized, we will  fight that battle also.  It is well worth the risk.


Wages:  It is true that there is a wage freeze for the TSA workforce, and that they have not received a raise in two years.  Even so, it would take us over 8 years at 2.1% to catch up to what they are making now. 

One final thought to leave you with:

The Department of Justice has determined that Covenant is in violation of USERRA.  This issue relates to the current and former members of the military who are part of the workforce.  Covenant has been discriminating against them when it comes to promotions and back pay.  When CAS talks about "Team SFO", they very conveniently have left out our veterans.

http://www.dol.gov/compliance/guide/userra.htm

Summary:  We are not "one" team, and we never have been!

Because we have been quiet.....

doesn't mean that we have disappeared.  It doesn't mean that we have not been busy.  It doesn't mean that we have not been watching, listening and planning. 

We have been very busy behind the scenes and we will continue along the path we have chosen to follow.

Thanks for all the support that you have provided us.

What They Didn't Tell You!

Several weeks ago, Jeff Pugh brazenly announced that CAS had the cash to give us all raises.  Incoming president Mike Boles stated that he wanted to have this new CBA in place by the beginning of August because: " the hard working men and women at SFO deserve nothing less."

What they didn't tell you was that the money for your raises was coming from the "givebacks" that the company wants to implement.  

 

Boles wants you to focus on the 2.1% wage increase and nothing else.  He doesn't want you to focus on "double time" pay when you work on a holiday.  He doesn't want you to focus on the 15 minute break per 4 hours of work.  (The employees who work 10 hours lose a 15 minute break!)

 

 He doesn't want you to focus on the cost to you if you get admitted to a hospital.  The first 1,000 dollars comes out of your pocket, and then you pay 20% of any additional charges up to a maximum of 3,000 dollars a year -- for a single employee, that is.  The maximum is 6,000 dollars for an employee with a family. 

All this comes at the same time that they want you to show " world class customer service."  With the atmosphere that this company has created, can they really expect any employee to smile?

If this offer doesn't show you just how this company really feels about their employees, what will?

This company is stooping to new lows in their effort to increase their "profit" margin!

The "Plank" Owners' Reward!- Part Two

These offers are so insulting that they cannot go unanswered.

Incoming CAS president, Mike Bolles, has submitted an offer to the bargaining committee that he hopes to have accepted and in place by the beginning of August.  Of course he does!  His hope is to fast track this quickly enough to prevent it from being taken apart.  Well, it's too late!

One of the "insults" is an offer of 21 days PTO and 4 days of accrued sick time.  We know for a fact that the TSA workforce gets 12 hours of PTO and 8 hours of sick time every month.  We also know that Kin Care call outs are based on the number of accrued sick days.  Bolles' plan will result in an excused Kin Care of only two days per year instead of the 6 days that we should have.  ( half of 96 hours per year.)

"Plank Owners" are being asked to accept a total of 200 hours per year instead of 250.9. 

CAS has placed a 50 dollar per year value for a grand total equaling a 500 dollar one time bonus to the Plank Owners.  Each additional year beyond 10 years results in no bonus at all!

So, let's see.  They want Plank Owners to "give" back 50 hours of the PTO that they have waited 10 years for.  This would result in a roughly 1000 dollar hit to each and every one of them.  Oh, but don't worry, they will give you back half of what you are asked to give up so the hit will only be 500 dollars for year 10.  Each and every year after that will result in the full 1000 dollar give back.

The benefit package as a whole is very insulting and it would take too long to list our objections.  Suffice it to say that, "we are not amused."

One more thing before we end this posting.

Is this what Rep. John Mica means when he touts the cost efficiencies and benefits of a private contractor versus the TSA workforce?  Is this what he means when he says that the workforce has more incentive to perform better?  Just how does he formulate these beliefs?  It is all based on lies!

When a company is only focusing on generating as much profit as possible someone has to suffer. 

We will admit that a private contractor does beat the TSA in one aspect, they have really mastered the art of sticking it to their employees!

The Dangerous Path of SEIU

 It has come to our attention that this bonehead of a union, SEIU, is gathering signatures from the workforce for a strike authorization.  Well, aside from it being just plain stupid, it is also illegal! 

 We cannot, and should not, even think about going on strike!  Doing so would pit you and everyone that signed that petition on a direct collision course with the TSA.  TSA will have no choice but to fire you. You can and will get fired!

 We here at SecurityFirstSFO do not condone or approve this foolish gamble.  Don't follow the advice of this union who has once again shown that they are unqualified to represent us.

These Are Your Rights...

according the the National Labor Relations Board.  With or without a union we do have rights under the National Relations Labor Act.

Don't feel that we need a union to make our wants and needs known to the company.


http://www.nlrb.gov/rights-we-protect/employee-rights

An Interesting Article About Union Dollars

This may come as an eye opener to some!

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/hot-dogs-slick-ads-unions-spent-4-4-151032009.html

The "Plank" Owners' Reward!

On October 27th of this year, CAS will be reaching a 10 year milestone
at SFO.  Those employees who have been here since 2002 are considered
to be senior employees and, as such, "Plank" owners. Under the terms
of the original Collective Bargaining Agreement -- which CAS never
thought they would reach -- once the Plank owners reached 10 years of
service, there would be an automatic increase in the PTO rate of
accrual.

Incumbent employees are already receiving the higher rate of accrued
PTO, which, from the information that they have provided to us, is
9.65 hours of PTO every pay period.  This translates into 250.9 hours
of PTO/sick time per year.

In a recent proposal made by the company, CAS wanted to change the
maximum allowance to 21 days of PTO plus 4 days of sick time per year,
for a grand total of 200 hours.

Somehow, CAS feels that the Plank owners should give back 50 hours of
the PTO that they have been waiting 10 years to receive.

Isn't it wonderful to be so appreciated?  Let us not forget: " it's
profit before product", and CAS is only in this for the money.

Once again CAS is targeting Plank owners.  Is there anyone out there
that cannot see this?  In the recent past we have seen multiple
Plank-owner firings, which CAS alleges were justified.

What say you?

The answer is: Absolutely Not!

The question:  Should a for-profit, private contractor be responsible for the checkpoint and checked baggage security at SFO?

How has a company, whose main focus is generating a "profit", survived for so long? 

In the almost 10 years that CAS has been at SFO, they have never been able to have a schedule that matches operational needs.  Year after year, they just can't seem to get the hang of it.

Management likes to say that the daily movement of personnel is "flexibility" and a credit to their managerial skills.  We employees see it as just another managerial miscue.  Clearly they are clueless! ( The need for countless hours of overtime is a testimony to their ineptitude! )

The Distance Between The Two Sides Is Getting

wider and wider.

The previous two postings only shows how management remains committed to using measures that will do nothing to improve worker morale.

Threats and attempts at intimidation will only make the workforce more determined.  Have you not learned anything over the years?  If you show respect you will get respect.  Do you not see what type of workforce you are cultivating?  Do you not see that we are fed up?

Do you not realize that this blog is being read by other airport employees around the country?  We have been contacted by members of the TSA workforce at airports who may or may not opt out.  Is this the image CAS wants them to see?  Just how willing do you think they will be to work with CAS management?  Your reputation will surely precede you!

Open your eyes and learn from your mistakes.

CAS Is Counting On You Not Knowing What Your Rights Are!