MORE OF THE SAME!

Upper management wants to gather employees twice a month, from each section of the screener workforce (checked baggage and checkpoint), to come up with suggestions on how to create a "positive workplace environment."

Do they really need the workforce to tell them what they should already know? They know exactly what has caused the discontent throughout the workforce!  Just who are they trying to kid?

Previous "sessions" with management produced zero results. They wrote suggestions down and pretended that they actually cared enough to make changes. Can anyone point out any positive changes that have been implemented? The only changes that have taken place have been negative. Staffing levels are so low that we can not take our breaks and we are delayed being released at the end of our work shifts. Management wants more production from fewer workers.

So, what is behind this insincere attempt to improve worker morale? If you don't know by now we will tell you...it's more profit for them!

Will Covenant retain this contract to provide an inferior product to the stakeholders? Will a new company assume responsibilities at SFO?

We can and will increase performance for a company that cares and treats their employees with respect and appreciation.Covenant should be seen for what they truly are. They are a company that has always put "Profit before Product."

Montana Office Closing

Covenant Aviation Security LLC is closing its office in Anaconda, Montana per the Montana Standard newspaper.  Covenant Aviation Security LLC has no known contracts in Montana except for some services it provides to Trinity Technology Group. 

Last one out turn off the paper shredder!

One Small Step For CAS!

Things took a positive turn for CAS last week. Delta Airlines wanted to pull out of Tupelo, Miss., but was ordered to stay put until a replacement airline could be found.

So, a little more sugar is still flowing to CAS from this outpost in the wilderness.

Read the full story at:

http://www.wapt.com/r/29193705/detail.html
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Rep. John Mica- Preaching to the Choir

Well, he's at it again! Evidently, he is still listening to CAS management and has not been supplied with the latest testing results. One would expect that that information would cause him to pull back with his calls for privatization.

We will admit that he does have some very valid points. The TSA has exploded into an out of control agency with a budget that now stands, according to him, close to 9 billion dollars. ( And, he should know, as his committee controls the TSA budget.)

As for his statement that, "the TSA trains more workers than they have on the job", he fails to see the cause of that. Let's look at worker turnover! Of course, when you have a high turnover ratio you do train more workers than you have on the current payroll. He should be looking at how to reduce the turnover ratio and how to not spend close to 1 billion dollars on training.

Mr. Mica claims that switching to private contractors would save an estimated 40% for taxpayers is ludicrous. How would that happen? By not giving shift differential? Or by not supplying shoes and adequate supplies to the workforce? Or, not providing family medical coverage to the workforce? The list goes on and on.

Read the article and you be the judge. What do you think?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/11/BAHR1L2HK8.DTL

Is CAS management getting the message?

We heard that there was an attendance problem on Monday, but does management understand why? Do they have a clue?

The rank and file have chosen to express a level of unhappiness with recent decisions and have chosen to do so in a way that should alert management that there are problems to be solved. When bad decisions are made it affects us all. But bad decisions have become standard practice at CAS. The thought processes have never included considering the ramifications of a bad decision.

Oddly enough, operational needs have taken a back seat!
Management continues to negatively impact our ability to perform our duties effectively and efficiently. When will they recognize that providing a high level of security is our only product.

What do we take away from what happened in HNL?

This should serve as a reminder that we are here to provide security. Don't let the size of the line or the amount of baggage waiting to be screened cause you to be less thorough.

We need to follow the SOP 100%! Do what we were hired to do and protect yourself from losing your job. Let's control the things that we can control. Staffing and scheduling issues are beyond our control; that's the responsibility of management.

As a private contractor in the TSA world we are watched more carefully, especially now since Rep. John Mica is pushing for drastic changes at the TSA.

"A word to the wise should be sufficient."

Will They have it done....

Before the start of the new six month schedule? Of course, we are referring to the Supervisor and Lead promotions. These new positions, ideally, should be announced and in place before May 14th. Just why is CAS so far behind? Can it be poor planning? How about just making a little bit more of an effort in attempting to look like a professional organization.

With all the staffing movement that will take place on the 14th why not strive for consistency? Why not have everyone just move once, at the start of the new schedule, instead of changing Supervisors and Leads afterward? We should be able to get it right after 8 plus years!

What the ?

Week at a time bid? What happened?

No advanced bidding, a six minute time slot, only one 10 1/2 hour allotment per day. Why?

One would think that they don't really want anyone to take any time off? How is what they did fair to those who have enough PTO and want to take time off during the holidays? Employee appreciation? Yeah, right! They are showing us how our needs are irrelevant.

When will they recognize that our time off is important to us? Does anyone think that we are asking too much in asking for fair treatment? Once again they are forcing us to use Kincare or FMLA which would give them very little time to find a staffing replacement.

It is time that they wake up!

Upcoming Shift Bid

Some of the news that we're hearing is positive, some of it not so. Being the general skeptics that we are, we'll believe the positive when we see it. Knowing how Covenant Aviation Security has been with schedules over the last eight years, only rarely do they ever seem to get it right.

It does seem that DFL (Dual Function Leads), particularly those of you that prefer to work at night, are going to get screwed. Since Dual Functions are no longer the favored children, it seems you guys overall will be getting the same "royal treatment" that our CTX brethren have received for the last three years.

We don't know how much faith you guys will have considering that Covenant Aviation Security is using Ascent to generate the schedules again. For Dual Functions, they are hand selecting schedules for you guys from the CTX generated schedules.

And for more of "the more things change, the more they stay the same" department, they are bringing back the MRT. Oh wait, not the MRT but the MRU. Mobile Rotating Unit, with emphasis on the singular form of "unit". Note that if you happen to bid for this schedule you are volunteering ahead of time to be moved around even more. And you will not stay together with the other people that happen to bid for the MRU. The situation could be that one of you stays at a location and the other one goes to another location. Be aware of that ahead of time. They're also creating separate bid lines for ADASP. For those of you that like ADASP, this is now your opportunity to get away even more, perhaps.

The union is supposedly working with Terence Cunningham to hammer out these schedules. Let's see if they can accomplish any good.

Will they get it right this time?

Bid lines are scheduled to be previewed next week; will our wonderful management team fall flat on their faces once again?

It should not be that hard to figure out a schedule, just look at how many people are shifted around each and every day and to where.

That part may be beyond the capabilities of our mental midgets. We seem to have collected all the available village idiots and made them an offer that they could not refuse. At some point, after so many failed attempts to get it right, the axe should fall. But, as we all know, that rarely happens to the chosen ones.

Let's try something new! How about using a suggestion box in the EAC for our opinions and helpful suggestions? Let's ask the boots on the ground for some help, after all, we are the ones who have to live through the shortcomings and shortsightedness. This way you could shift the blame on us, because you will never give us any credit for anything good that happens around here.

As usual, we will be judging your efforts and voicing our opinions. Prove to us that our criticism is unwarranted and that you can learn from your mistakes.

Overtime is back...

Well, at least for baggage it is. Sorry checkpoint folks. You'll have to wait a little longer for that to come back.

After reports of dozens of checked bags missing several flights, management finally realized that staffing is still not adequate for the checked baggage demands. This really doesn't come as much of a surprise since international flights aren't generally affected as much by seasonal demands. But hey, what the hell do we know?

For those of you that need the overtime, let's hope that it continues. Then again, we have a bunch of newbies starting in baggage next week. Make certain to give them a warm Covenant Aviation Security welcome.