Just More of the Same Ole Thing!

Why even post the qualifications for the SCC positions if they don't really matter? The people who were chosen for those promotions did not meet the basic requirements. Were those qualifications only listed to keep the number of applicants down?

We urge you to seriously consider filing a complaint with either the EEOC or the NLRB. Use whichever agency that is most suited to deal with your issues. Age discrimination, gender bias, life style choices? Use the one that fits your situation.

The onus is on you to stand up and fight for fair treatment. We will help you as much as we can.

Mandatory Overtime?

We got word earlier tonight that Barbara Alvarenga was informing TSOs at a guard moun that for those that work past 2 AM this morning, will be required to work mandatory overtime. Supposedly this is due to the changing of time for daylight savings. And if anyone refuses, they will be charged with an occurrence. "Well, excuse me for knowing my rights and the CBA!"

So, let's look at what the CBA says, shall we? According to the CBA, section 2.4.1:

2.4.1 Mandatory Overtime

There shall be no mandatory overtime, except for emergencies such as a security breach, a terrorist attack, a natural disaster, directives as assigned by TSA, or similar event.

Well, golly gee! Let's see if we can figure this out, ok? So is lack of staffing and preparation an emergency? I suppose it could be. Then again, they'd be requiring mandatory overtime ALL the time due to our constant lack of staffing. After all, it's not as though people quit working for Covenant Aviation Security all the time for jobs that pay less with less benefits.

How about a security breach? Hmmm...don't think so.

A terrorist attack? That's a new one! Daylight savings time equals a terrorist attack? I don't even think Bush would have tried that one!

A natural disaster? Well, we suppose hiring and promoting incompetent boobs to positions of authority and power could be considered a disaster, but certainly not natural. That's what scientists call a "man made disaster".

Has TSA implemented a new SOP that requires mandatory overtime for daylight savings time? It's possible. God knows they don't have the best and brightest running things. However, to our knowledge no such policy has been implemented by TSA.

So that leaves us just one question. Is Alvarenga just pulling this out of her ass, or is she under some directive from her higher ups? Inquiring minds want to know...

A sucker born every minute

You may or may not remember a post a month ago outlining exactly what happened with the Assistant Terminal Manager position recently filled by Barbara Alvarenga. Well, we have uncovered some new information on that position.

If what we can gather from this job posting on SFO's web site, then the Floor Supervisors that were dangled that promotion never had a chance. We don't know exactly when the job posting was posted, but the filing deadline was February 12, 2010. If Covenant Aviation Security, i.e. Donnie Filbert, was serious about leaving that position opened to their Floor Supervisors, then why would they have posted this on SFO's and other job websites around the same time they posted it for the Floor Supervisors?

One can only safely assume then, that Covenant Aviation Security never had any intentions of giving that position to their Floor Supervisors. Of course, we already knew this, but this gives us hard evidence of this fact.

We really hope that the Floor Supervisors are content doing the menial work of managers without the pay and title to go along with it.

The original job posting has been saved for posterity just in case SFO takes it down.

Another week of silence

Well, the end of the week has come and gone. There is still no announcement of CTX or PAX STSO promotions. There's no word either on if or when PAX Lead interviews starting.

The cynical side of us says they're just biding their time so Barbara Alvarenga can promote her cronies as she did when she was first here. Then again, perhaps they're really having a difficult time choosing the "right" candidates. Or maybe they'll cancel the promotions like they did with the Dual Function STSO promotions in January.

One thing's for certain: no one has received a rejection letter yet. So keep the hope alive!

A walk down memory lane

People tend to live in the moment. We all generally have short memories as well. But that's where people like us step in. With the re-emergence of Barbara Alvarenga, we figured it would be a good time to refresh or just inform people of some rather recent history.

About a year and a half ago, Covenant Aviation Security posted a job posting for "Certified Assistant Manager." The MIT's at the time, and a handful of supervisors were ultimately cast in that role.

So what was a "Certified Assistant Manager"? Much like the Floor Supervisor, MIT, Jr. Supervisor, Assistant Training Manager, Director of This, Deputy Director of That, it was a Covenant Aviation Security creation. That is, there is officially no such position within TSA.

A "Certified Assistant Manager" was essentially an ATSA (Aviation Transportation Security Act) certified supervisor given a managerial title and all the duties that went along with being a manager. However, in TSA's bureaucratic ways, they busted Covenant Aviation Security for this position while doing one of their audits. Why, you might ask? Well, the problem was that the "Certified Assistant Manager" was listed on the TSA books as an STSO. They were not listed on the books as a manager. What that meant was that TSA was paying for this position out of the same budget that is set aside for all ATSA certified personnel. Where if it was an official Covenant Aviation Security manager, that would have come out of CAS's own budget.

What to do, might you ask? CAS's solution to the problem was simple. They told the "Certified Assistant Managers" at the time that they could either be demoted in title and pay by becoming the CAS created position of Floor Supervisor, or they could find work elsewhere. Naturally, they all gracefully accepted this praise worthy move and gladly accepted the demotion.

Oh, but it gets better. Covenant Aviation Security dangled a promotion in front of these newly designated Floor Supervisors. They dangled the Assistant Terminal Manager promotion to get many of them to take this position. Just in case you did not know, the Floor Supervisors are all salaried STSOs. Not that regular STSOs have a lot of opportunity for overtime, there is at least a chance. These Floor Supervisors have no chance of that. In other words, they have to work actual overtime if their Over Lords deem it necessary without having to pay them overtime rates.

These demotions all took place in November of last year. Lo and behold, in January of this year there was a job posting for Assistant Terminal Manager. The fascinating thing about that job posting was that it was only opened to Floor Supervisors. In this regard, Covenant Aviation Security kept to their word. "Go Floor Supervisor and we'll keep you up there for promotion."

February, March, April, May passed. Nothing. Not a word. Not a peep. Whatever happened to that Assistant Terminal Manager promotion? No one knew. Tick, tock, tick, tock. By now, most everyone had completely forgotten about the promotion. Hell, the Floor Supervisors themselves probably forgot as well.

And then, a little over two weeks ago word leaked out that Barbara Alvarenga was back as the new Assistant Terminal Manager. Well., golly gee willikers! So THAT'S what happened to that promotion! Donnie Filbert brought back his old United Airlines buddy!

The question that remains and should be continued to be asked is why has Filbert been allowed to bring back an absolute incompetent person? Why is Mindy Pengel allowing this?!

We know it might be easy for some of you to dismiss this story because it has to do with STSOs. But we shouldn't be. This is not some atypical thing that Covenant Aviation Security does. This is THEIR Standard Operating Procedure. The lesson to be learned is that if they're willing to do something like this to their STSOs, they're willing to do that and more to the rest of us. And they're wondering why morale is so low?

A little less conversation, a little more action please!

Mindy Pengel had two meetings with supervisors Thursday and Friday. Odd, considering that Wednesday would seem more logical since that is the overlap day for most supervisors. Not much was discussed, apparently. And no other managers were there.

The intent was to discuss the low morale at Covenant Aviation Security. Ok, excuse us for patting ourselves on the back a little, but Pengel would need not look any further than this blog to get a sense of why the morale is so low. Why would she limit her scope only to the supervisors? Yes, they certainly have reasons to be pissed (hey, how is that Barbara Alvarenga move working out for you Floor Supervisors), but they're not the only ones by any stretch of the imagination.

Speaking of Alvarenga, look for her welcome back message from Herr Filbert in today's CAS Info. Yeah, she doesn't need to look very far to get a sense, does she? Why has she allowed Donnie Filbert to bring back someone who was an absolute disaster when she was here previously? Especially when there are probably a dozen or so supervisors that could easily fill that position with poise and complete competence.

It's just more of the same crap! The more things change, the more they stay the same. And it seems we're trying to revert back to the original days of chaos and dismay. Woo hoo!

If Pengel truly wanted to get a sense of why morale is low, she'd be talking to us. She'd be asking for our blunt and brutally honest assessment, and she would be prepared for the slings and arrows she'd ultimately receive. But, let's not forget that Pengel is steeped in the law enforcement culture where there is a definite chain of command and those at the top only interact with those at the bottom in a purely superficial way.

So no, we don't think she really wants to know. We don't think she cares. If she cared, she would have fired Filbert four months ago when those bid lines originally came out. Everyone and their brother knew that Filbert's brilliant idea for those schedules in March weren't going to work. Even managers told him they weren't going to work. And what happened? Well, you all know what happened.

So let's go back and ask the poignant question once again: WHAT DOES A MANGER HAVE TO DO IN ORDER TO BE TERMINATED?!

It just gets better and better

Hey, Floor Supervisors! You remember several months ago when you agreed to become a Floor Supervisor with hopes of being an Assistant Terminal Manager? You know, that promotion management dangled in front of you in order to get you to take a salaried position? And do you remember that Assistant Terminal Manager position that was posted back in January? I bet you guys wondered whatever happened to that position, huh?

Does the name Barbara Alvarenga ring any bells? Oh, come on! You remember her! By all accounts, she was a disastrous manager from way back when. She left Covenant Aviation Security years ago to take a job with Good Will. Good for her! Oh wait! You didn't hear? That's right, SHE'S BACK!

Barbara Alvarenga is back and she is our new Assistant Terminal Manager! She will be back starting on Monday in which she will be auditing the next new hire class, presumedly to refresh her on the current SOP and what not.

Every time we think there's nothing Covenant Aviation Security can do to surprise us, they go ahead and find something to get us shaking and scratching our heads about.

And this next message is to all of the TSA and CAS management that read this blog. Let's be clear. This blog is not spreading information that the work force doesn't or won't eventually know about. Just because you, the management, know that we know, doesn't mean that we haven't always known about the things that take place. Trust us, we know. And we almost always find out. But since most of you are so out of touch with what goes on, you keep your heads buried in the sand and only when that hole collapses do you become aware. This blog has just coalesced it in to one easy to find place.