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."

Just why is Covenant Aviation Security LLC so confident?

Upper management has recently stated that "the contract for SFO is ours to lose."  How did they reach that conclusion?  Did they make another backroom deal?

What they refuse to acknowledge is just how tenuous the positions of upper management are.

Should another company assume control of security at SFO, they would inherit an experienced workforce that has done fairly well under the Covenant management team. Upper management would be replaced with a leadership team from the acquiring company.

Just imagine what the workforce could accomplish with a management team that actually cared about their employees! Just imagine what it would be like to work for a company that puts product before profit.

Remember, "it's performance versus potential."  Can and will the workforce improve their attitude and professionalism under new leadership? 

Fear not the future; things have a way of working out!

To what degree will the managerial shortcomings of CAS become obvious his week?

The combination of the BART strike and the staffing shortages should completely overwhelm the capabilities of our stellar management team. One of these two difficulties is beyond our control. The other is self-induced. With staffing levels being what they are, one can only hope that everyone reports for duty.

CAS has found it fit to block out any and all requests for personal time off in order to maximize their profit. How else can they make this style of management work?

Once again it shows a total disregard for the wants and needs of the workforce. Once again it shows that their only motivation is to generate the maximum amount of profit, at the expense of the workforce and their families.

One can infer that this would result in an inferior level of service, which would once again negatively impact the stakeholders. When will the stakeholders get the type of service that they deserve?

It's hard to believe..

that 3 years ago today at 1:35 a.m., our first posting -- titled "Enough is Enough" -- marked the beginning of our attempt to keep you all informed about the comings and goings-on of our "Profit At Any Cost" company, Covenant Aviation.  

Our mission then, as it is now, was to keep you as informed as possible.  The constant swirl of rumors that were never affirmed, nor dispelled, by management could not continue.  We hope that the information that we have provided to you has helped to fill in the blanks.  We will continue our self-appointed mission of being your eyes and ears, and promise to pass along as much as possible.

Thanks to all of those who have contributed articles and bits of information to help our efforts.

By the way, we cannot end this posting without commenting on "Survey Monkey."  Covenant is, by their own admission, trying to understand the workforce better.  They are trying to pass the blame for the hostile relationship that exist onto the supervisors. They want to know if there is any favoritism taking place, and if we are being mistreated. There has always been favoritism, and CAS management has been the biggest offender.

The supervisors are not the problem.  CAS management created this monster and, as usual, they will not accept any responsibility. Do they really need a survey to learn something that they should already know? Just where have their collective heads been all these years?  Anyone want to take a guess?

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.

Rep. John Mica feels da pain!

In an article, which we will include a link to, Mr. Mica talks about " a solution to a dysfunctional workplace." According to him, the only way to correct these issues is to go to private contractors.

Huh? It seems that he is totally and completely fooled by Mr. Gerry L. Berry of Winter Springs,Florida. If he wants an honest and frank opinion of the morale and working conditions here at SFO he will never get it from Mr. Berry.

Mr. Berry condones favoritism! He condones girlfriends promoting their boyfriends. He condones the promotion of people who don't meet the basic qualifications set forth in our job postings. Just look at the recently announced promotions for the SCC positions. All three of them have not been here the required one full year. Yet, our H.R. department looks the other way when they should be crying out that this is wrong!

(Also, isn't it amazing how quickly these promotions were filled and announced? Yet, the promotions for the Checkpoint and Baggage are still left unfilled. What are we missing here?)

Mr. Mica should just continue to focus on the bloated staffing levels at the TSA. He needs to do more "homework" before he makes a statement about feeling our pain and frustration. His solution is not a solution, it would only change the "warden."

http://gcn.com/blogs/gov-careers/2011/06/feeling-tsa-workers-pain.aspx

Employee Appreciation Day Starts Tomorrow!

What happens when you miss getting the work schedule that you want by one slot? Would you be upset? Of course you would!

With the number of promotions that will be announced "after" the bidding takes place there is the possibility that your seniority number would have been bumped up.

Being bumped up one or two slots would have allowed you to get the schedule that you want for the next six months! Once again management has stuck it to the workforce.

So, when thinking of how the company shows their appreciation to the workforce, think about how you missed getting what you want by one slot.

Oh, we almost forgot! What is our wonderful union doing about this?

Mike Bolles- The man with all the answers!

The mere fact that those answers add up to a pile of horse manure does not matter. What matters here is that someone just might believe this fantasy.

A for "profit" company will never be able to "meet the staffing needs" because they artificially inflate the number of actual staffing. In order to "maximize" profits the staffing levels are kept at a bare bones level. It is only through the intervention of TSA that an increase in staffing occurs. What would change if CAS were to get another airport? Nothing! Generating profits, not providing top notch security service is the main focal point.

The solution that CAS applies can best be described as robbing Peter to pay Paul. Gutting the CTX community of DFO's to man the checkpoints is only one of the problems. They would much rather have baggage miss a flight than have the passenger ticked off.

The Mike Bolles solution is laughable. If he would apply the same standards to our wonderful management team who would be left? Hey, Mike, let's paint everyone with the same brush and standards. The corporate culture has to set an example. So far the example has been shameful.

Clean house first and lead by example, not with threats and intimidation.

Thanksgiving at SFO courtesy of CAS

Are you ready to receive the box lunch, cookie and a soda that we use to get from CAS? Well, once again, it is not coming this year. In their attempt to maximize profits, and to show us how little they think of us, they have once again decided to bunch together Thanksgiving and Christmas. (We think)

Once again, it is the little things that count. How about the company making an attempt to show us that they appreciate all that we have done. How about a nice gesture to the people that will be working Thanksgiving Day and who will be away from their families? Good will, if they know what that means, would show that they are trying.

It appears that we are not worth it! So be it.

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...

I'm melting, I'm melting!

One of the last TSOs to go through the Rev9 training forgot that he was scheduled for the class. He had been told, but it was his Monday, and he showed up at the ckpt at his usual time, some 3-4 hrs before the Rev9 class was to start.

Not seeing his name on the b-sheet, and still not remembering the class, he called the SCC to find out why his name was not listed.

A couple of minutes later, the ckpt was treated to the sight of Russ Mackey yelling at the TSO at the top of his lungs. He yelled: "Get out! Get off the checkpoint! Get out right now!"

The TSO, having a couple of hours to kill before class, went to HR and complained to Rosalie Aranda about Mackey's behavior.

Rosalie called Mackey up for a chat. Shortly thereafter, Mackey apologized to the TSO. The TSO got to the Rev9 class on time.

This story doesn't come as much of a surprise, considering Mackey's hotheadedness.  Then again, Covenant Aviation Security seems to foment this type of behavior from its managers and supervisors. Must we remind you about Shelley Burrell, Anthony Nguyen, Linda Widden,  Curtis Boggs, or Gerardo Sanchez?

The Wicked

There once was an evil, nasty witch of the west. This witch eventually found herself in a pickle with a girl named Dorothy. Oh sorry, we got a little confused there for a second. We thought we were telling the story of Terminal Manager Shelley Burrell! Our bad!

But since we mentioned her, we can't help share a story that was sent in to us recently. It turns out that a short while back, a new hire was brought to tears over the way Burrell and STSO Linda Whidden talked to their employees at a guard mount.

Apparently Burrell was under a lot of pressure. And we all know that Whidden cracks at the first hint of pressure as well. You see, Burrell had TSA on her back. And as she explained to the TSOs, "I'm not going to lose my f-ing job because of the f-ing way you do yours!" This is just a small sample of the profanity laced tirade that transpired.

Being new, this new hire was not familiar with Burrell's and Whidden's lack of professionalism. This event was so traumatic to the new hire that the TSO almost quit. The TSO was talked out of this decision by someone else. This other person decided to relay this story to his "boss".

This "boss" now had to deal with the situation. Ultimately the incident got reported to HR and fell on Larry Perkins' lap. We have to give it to Burrell. When Perkins called her to inform her that he was starting an investigation on her, Burrell openly admitted to the obscene language.

Perkins, in his estimable self, called the new TSO to his office to discuss this incident. When the TSO arrived at the EAC, the TSO was presented with Burrell and Whidden standing outside his office with the most unpleasant of attitudes visible. The TSO was flabbergasted. The TSO immediately picked up on the intimidation factor and instinctively wanted to turn around and leave.  The TSO ultimately decided against it.

Once inside Perkins' office, he proceeded to explain to this new TSO that the individual needed to understand that Burrell is under a great deal of stress and pressure. He kept trying to convince the TSO that it was ok. After much insistence on Perkins' part, the TSO just said, "Are we done?" Clearly wanting to leave his office, the meeting was adjourned.

So what came of this incident? Well, Burrell and Whidden were terminated. Oh dammit! There we go again with the fairy tale! Of course nothing came of it. Just like nothing came of Dena Crawford or Anthony Nguyen or Gerardo Sanchez. These managers are simply untouchable.

All of this comes down to the question that we still don't have an answer to: What do managers have to do in order to be terminated? It's a simple question. Now where's the answer?!

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.

This madness has to end now!

This madness has to end! The treatment that CAS has deemed fit to bestow on the employees proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are not concerned for our well being. We will leave no stone unturned as we continue our campaign to be treated as respected, appreciated, professional employees under the TSA umbrella.

The working conditions have been steadily getting worse with no end in sight.

Management keeps turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to our concerns and suggestions. We will not stand by and watch our fellow employees being mistreated and abused without attempting to bring these injustices to light. How long will TSA just stand by and do nothing?

September Madness

Once again we are getting a shining example of CAS management at their finest. The employee movements at both Checkpoint and Checked Baggage are in full swing. Available PTO slots for the month of September have vanished. Once again Operational needs outweigh our need to spend time with our families. Once again we are not suppose to have a life.

With the staffing levels so low we are asked once again to make up for the ineptitude of our wonderful management team. At what point will CAS admit to, what the rest of us already know, the fact that the people we have doing the job of scheduling need to be replaced? What has to happen for these realizations and revelations to hit them squarely over the head? Nothing has changed! These people are the new "Untouchables".

CAS will never admit that they made a mistake, so, let's just keep things the way that they are, maybe nobody will notice. Don't worry, we will gladly point out to you the deficiencies that we see in your managerial skills.

Get the staffing levels to the proper level. Live up to your contractual obligations that you have with TSA. Open up the overtime slots and stop trying to make it so we are all dog tired. We are reaching the breaking point.

When will TSA step in and do something about this!

An abuse of power

There is a special supervisor that works in the mornings at T3 West. We call him special because, well, he treats all of his Officers with the utmost respect. Take for example how he treated an Officer recently. An Officer got tapped out of his position with seven minutes left on his shift. As he was getting ready to clock out, this supervisor kindly asked him if he minded going to another checkpoint to finish out the remainder of his shift. This Officer retorted in a harsh and derogatory tone telling him he refused!

Ahh...heck..if only that story were true. It was the opposite in fact. This supervisor, we'll call him Curtis Boggs for this story, demanded the Officer finish his shift at another checkpoint. Mind you, the Officer had probably about five minutes left in his shift at this point. The Officer went to call the SCC to get clarification on this request. That was when he was confronted by Curtis Boggs. The Officer asked if Curtis Boggs would authorize the overtime if they got stuck doing a bag check or whatnot that would require them to work over their authorized time. Curtis Boggs said no.

Curtis Boggs then got loud with his voice and said, "I am your superior right? You are below me right? You wasted 8 minutes talking about this when you should be working!" The Officer explained that all they were trying to do was get clarification on the matter of clocking out. Curtis Boggs then threatened to write up the Officer. The Officer called his bluff and told Curtis Boggs to go ahead. Curtis Boggs of course did not write up the Officer.

Later on, the Officer called one of the managers asking for clarification on the overtime and clocking out matter. The Officer wanted to know if being asked to finish out their shift to the last minute was ok, regardless if that would require them to stay over their time. The manager said they would talk to Curtis Boggs on the matter.

First off, good for the Officer standing up for them self! More of us MUST do this. We've said it before, just because someone is your superior, it does not give them the right to abuse you. Don't take this lying down!

Needless to say, the Officer felt threatened and intimidated by Curtis Boggs. And the Officer was definitely upset. Who wouldn't be?

Second, I would not hold out hope that management will do anything about Curtis Boggs. During the Jeff Pugh regime, people complained to Pugh about Curtis Boggs and well, Curtis Boggs is still there. Management protects their own. And Curtis Boggs is someone who they probably love, precisely because he treats his Officers like dirt.

Let's remind or inform those that don't remember or even know about it. Curtis Boggs is the same supervisor who infamously danced for joy when he thought he caught someone leaving a trap in the ETD machine. He was so giddy, he couldn't wait to call the SCC to find out who it was. Oh yeah, that's right! It was Curtis Boggs who left that trap in the ETD machine!!! Now, if he got treated like any of us, he should be on a level 3 or 4 performance level. Once again, management protects their own.

Curtis Boggs is someone who needs to be knocked down several levels. For those of you that have the misfortune of having to work with this individual, we pity you. But, there are always ways of making the best of a unique situation like this.