I agree with just about every point made by rat5. But after reading several comments, I feel the need to disilussion quite a few of you about one of your pet hates: rosterers.
No rosterer I've ever known has the power to make any political or otherwise decisions. They don't decide the schedule, they don't decide the crew numbers, or the bases, or what sbys are needed, or when the training falls, or where leave or days off go, or what would be a sensible roster. In fact, their opinions, whatever they might be, are mostly ignored. And ditto for their frustrations. They just get told to stop whingeing and to get on with it. They have no control over what happens at the beginning of the food chain, ie: recruitment, training, scheduling, bases, etc. As for the 5254, not a single rosterer was involved in its invention. Management were, yes, but not the lowly rosterers.
If your rosters are Sh**, tell your managers. If your base is undercrewed, tell your managers. Maybe if enough people complain, they'll start to listen, but I have a feeling pigs might fly first.
No one produces s**t rosters on purpose, and there's no such thing as hating the crew. Half the team at ej are ex crew! But if the basics are wrong, how can you expect miracles? If the wrong tools are provided, there's nought else to be done.
The fact of the matter is that the rosters are produced manually, cause the computer system cannot be trusted to do a decent job; the crew, aircraft and flight numbers keep on growing, but the department doesn't. Now it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work that one out, does it? Unless something is done somewhere along the line, things cannot get any better, not out of despite, but because it's not humanly possible.
In short, there's a lot of sympathy for the situation, and plenty of experience and willingness to change things but no power. Can I suggest that the rants get directed at the right people? Management, directors, take your pick, you're bound to get it right.