To Be or Not to Be?

Well, that is the pressing question for DFOs right now. Herr Filbert sent out a memo stating that they will be inquiring as to whether or not DFOs would like to go back to single function. Apparently they're looking for a certain number to go one way or the other. But the more pressing question is why the change of heart?

For years it was all you ever heard from Jeff Pugh, our dear leader from the former regime: Dual Function this, dual function that. I swear the guy had dreamt sweet nothings whenever the topic of dual function came about. In fact, Pugh stated that as long as he was working at CAS, there would never be another CTX person hired.

Well, as we know by now, about a year and half after Pugh's forced departure, Filbert has a different opinion. I always theorized that the reason Pugh got such an erection about dual functions was because CAS somehow got TSA to pay more for dual functions. When you look at coverage and bodies, it never made any sense to have that many dual functions. So if that theory was correct, why would they have a change of heart all of a sudden? That's anyone's guess. I have my theories, but we can save that for another time.

So now that they're going to finally follow the SOP and require all baggage certified persons to be OSARP trained there is something that our 9000 Specialists need to be concerned about, and that is being out of a job. Well, they won't terminate you, but the need for your specialized position must certainly be in play.

Once they accomplish the training of all baggage certified persons, there will be approximately 200+ that will be OSARP certified. That is in addition to the 50 or so 9000 specialists SFO currently has. If I were a 9000 specialist, I would be looking for another job (hey, shouldn't we all be doing that anyway?) or see if you can somehow manage with an $8 an hour pay cut. And don't look for the union to protect you either. CAS is well within their rights to eliminate a classification. Also, don't forget that this is the last year of our current CBA and negotiations for the next contract will be starting again sometime this year.

Back to the original question of this post. If you're a DFO and considering going single function you do have to weigh some things. Keep in mind that most of the CTX TSOs are plank owners. So unless you're a plank owner yourself, you will be near the bottom of the seniority of the CTX classification. If you opt to go checkpoint, your seniority will certainly increase over time due to the inevitable attrition at checkpoint. Then again, would you really want to stay checkpoint every day where you're treated like children or stay in the bag room where you're treated as an adult? There is a reason why the churn over rate is so much higher at checkpoint than it is in the bag room.

I can't answer the question for you. In all honesty, you're probably better off not going single function for the time being and see how all of this plays out. If CAS gets to a point where they force you to choose, then you will have to weigh your options.

It's too bad that CAS is putting the DFOs through the same chaos that they put the CTX community in for the last couple of years. Keep your chin up, they're liable to change their minds again in another couple of years.

Couple news items

We're getting word that the announcement for CTX STSO is happening this week. We guess they were waiting for Gerardo Sanchez to come back from his sabbatical. We haven't heard anything definitive about the PAX STSO promotions yet. Perhaps they're getting ready to announce that as well.

And it seems as though DFOs are in fact DOA. The word around town is that DFOs are officially capped out and that the prospect of hiring CTX TSOs is an ultimate reality.

It seems that Covenant Aviation Security has forced themselves to do this since staffing is at a precarious level in the bag rooms and over time doesn't seem to be covering the gaps. This holds true with the recent announcement that 9000 Specialists are once again allowed to do over time, but only if DFOs or CTX TSOs do not take that over time slot.

Sanchez has also been spotted in bag rooms doing work there instead of in his office in the BSR. Perhaps he's avoiding those folks due to the recent HR investigation?

No word yet on the Checkpoint Lead interviews either. We'll keep you abreast of the situation as we hear more.

Once more with feeling

Two weeks ago we demonstrated that CAS was at it again with their ineptitude and bone-headed decision making by rejecting DFOs for the checkpoint lead position. Prior to that, they made the similar decision with DFOs for the checkpoint supervisor position. Fortunately, they came to their senses and reversed that decision.

Well, they're at it once again. This time it's for our brethren in the BSR (baggage screening room). Without getting into too much detail, they're the guys that decide whether or not a bag that has alarmed the EDS machines if the bag needs to be inspected. At SFO, they're classification is CTX 9000 Specialist. They are, in TSA terms, OSARP (onscreen alarm resolution protocol) certified. It's a position that CAS created in order to maximize their skills. In TSA terms, they're really CTX TSOs. So they are just as qualified as any of their non-OSARP certified CTX TSO counterparts in terms of screening of checked bags.

What's especially interesting is that baggage ATM Gerardo Sanchez (a useless idiot if we've ever met one) spoke to one CTX 9000 Specialist for over an hour and a half berating him for not having applied for the checked baggage supervisor position. The irony of that situation is that someone else from the BSR did in fact apply for the position and received a rejection letter because they didn't meet the classification requirements! Once again, REALLY?! CAS really wants to go down this idiotic road again?!

Why we are surprised about this, puzzles even us. We shouldn't be surprised, yet we are. Well, to all of our BSR brethren, as Bill Clinton used to say, "We feel your pain."