ONTPax
19th Jun 2004, 05:51
A friend of mine who's a flight attendant passed this along to me when we were comparing notes about ludicrous corporate pratices.
This illustrates the type of B.S. that goes on not only at airlines, but in almost any work environment where unions and managements butt heads over the goofiest issues. The woman described in what follows is possibly going to lose her job because she allegedly tried to walk off a plane with a partially-consumed bottle of water that was, in all liklihood, going to be thrown away anyway.
A few years ago, there was a similar story on CBS's 60 MINUTES where a TWA flight attendant was fired because she took a small carton of milk off of a plane to consume at her layover hotel in Paris. She didn't like the taste of French milk. The milk was going to be thrown away anyway. TWA fired her because it was their belief that it was THEIR garbage, and employees had no right to "steal" their garbage. Correspondent Ed Bradley confronted the TWA corporate lawyer on the issue and suggested that the REAL reason the flight attendant was terminated was because she was very active in her union. This was during the Carl Icahn-era labor strife at the airline. The corporate attorney didn't have too much to say. And that's pretty rare for an attorney.
You'd think this particular airline would have learned from the TWA experience.
B.S. like this is, unfortunately, not limited to the airline industry. I, myself, have been challenged by certain members of Management where I work because I was wearing white-colored socks instead of the dark colored socks specified by the dress code. I even had a supervisor attempt to physically reach over and pull up my pants leg to check and see if I was in compliance. I reminded her that every time she touched me she was, technically, physically assaulting me. She was laughing and trying to make light of the event, but the bottom line is that she wanted to know what color of socks I was wearing.
IMHO, it seems to be a pretty sad state of affiars that Managements can't find more important things to obsess over.
Dates, names, places, aircraft identifiers, airline names and other facts and figures have been "sanitized" for the purposes of posting this story. I don't want my flight attendant friend to get in trouble.
ONTPax :confused: :mad:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hope you're all doing well. I wanted to get this out to all of you.
As some of you already know, last week Management conducted a bag search on my crew and me. We had a "ghost rider" on board. Management admitted the "ghost rider" was on board because Management was targeting one of my crew. We were a three-flight-attendant crew. The "ghost rider" was sitting in seat 1D on a 767. He was Seattle Onboard Supervisor Joe Schmoe. He was traveling on a $2,000.00 full fare ticket. The flight was from JFK to PHX. The flight was uneventful. The crew had a good rapport.
When we landed in PHX, we deplaned and were called over to the check-in counter where Supervisor Schmoe was waiting for us with two PHX supervisors. In view and in earshot of employees and passengers in the area around the check in counter, Mr. Schmoe identified himself and said he had "observed suspicious behavior" on the flight that led him to believe one or more of us had unauthorized company property in our possession. We were told we would be going to Inflight for a bag search. Once we arrived in Inflight, each flight attendant was placed in a separate room with a guard so we were not able to retrieve anything from our bags. The Union was contacted and, after two hours, a bag search was conducted. Although all three of us asked numerous times what the suspicious behavior was that Supervisor Schmoe had allegedly observed, we were never given an answer other than "suspicious behavior was observed that led him to believe one or more of us had unauthorized company property in our possession." Management never told us what that supposed suspicious behavior was. The flight attendant union representatives present opposed the bag search, but ultimately The Airline had its way.
An extremely thorough search of our belongings ensued. I was actually asked to empty my skirt uniform pockets and to shake out the sneakers I had been in my suitcase to show I hadn't hidden anything in my sneakers. In my tote bag, I had two Sparkletts water bottles. One bottle I had brought from home. The other bottle was opened, and it was left over from the service. I was asked if I had a receipt to show the closed bottle of water was purchased in a store. I did not. I was asked where the open bottle had come from. I admitted there were two partial bottles left over after the second beverage service, and I had condensed the contents of those two water bottles into one and had taken it rather than throwing it in the garbage. I was informed that action was a violation of Article of Conduct VI, and I would be given a letter-of-charge with possible termination. Both bottles of water were confiscated. The lot #'s on the bottles were noted and the bottles were placed in an evidence box.
After the search was completed, I was told to write a report noting I stated one bottle of water was brought from home and the other was taken off of the airplane. Please keep in mind, about four hours had passed and we still had not been told what The Airline was looking for or what we did during the flight that brought on this search. Finally, we were released, layed over and deadheaded home. Currently, we are all on suspension with pay pending a hearing.
For a company that is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, it sure has a lot of money to spend on this investigation. We're getting paid for trips we aren't flying, reserves are getting paid for working the trips we're already getting paid for; $2,000 first class seats are not being sold to revenue passengers so "ghost riders" can occupy them, and that's just for starters. The Airline has hired an outside laboratory to test water and wine that was in a plastic bottle to prove the contents belong to The Airline. Hmmm? That seems like prudent behavior for a company that's on the verge of bankruptcy, doesn't it?
Let me move on to the supervisors who are conducting the investigation. Don't they have any work to do that would actually build morale and boost productivity? Perhaps they should spend a little more time on tracking the passenger who shoved me last month on a flight instead of trying to track down the lot number from a bottle of water I told them I brought from home. Let me tell you guys, The Airline's policy of "Zero Tolerance" is a bunch of crap. The only area in which The Airline exercises "Zero Tolerance" is with flight attendant infractions, not with passengers who mishandle crew. That's just something they put on paper to look good.
Getting back to the bag search, I haven't told you the "suspicious behavior" Supervisor Schmoe saw. Six days after the bag search, I was finally given a copy of Joe Schmoe's report. As a courtesy to two passengers in economy who had already spent $40 on red wine, I asked the F/A I was working with in economy to bring me two glasses of red wine from First if there was an open bottle. He checked for me and brought back two First Class wine glasses with the open bottle of red wine. The two passengers were sitting in the exit row and the cart was parked there. Supervisor Schmoe says he could not see where the F/A brought the wine. That's "Suspicious Behavior # 1." The second "Suspicious Behavior" involves me. Toward the end of the flight, Supervisor Schmoe says he saw the purser come toward the back of the plane with 3 miniature bottles of liquor. At about row 18 or 19, he said she handed them to me. According to The Airline's Management, those two things warranted a bag search.
It's funny how Supervisor Schmoe couldn't see what the F/A did with the red wine and glasses he brought from First Class, but he could see the purser hand me the three minis at row 18 or 19. As all of you know, the transport of alcohol from one cabin to another isn't suspicious at all. It happens all the time. It seems like Management has never heard of one cabin running out of a type of beer or mini and the need to swap brands from the other liquor cart. Also, Management has forgotten the purser has the authority to comp drinks to passengers. If the purser wants to comp a couple of cocktails to someone in Coach he or she is within company policy to do so. You and I both know nothing Supervisor Joe Schmoe saw on that flight was suspect. The Airline must have "reasonable cause" to conduct a bag search. We know there was no reasonable cause.
Unfortunately, because Supervisor Joe Schmoe was so interested to get into one person's bags, he had to say other flight attendants and I were also suspect so he couldn't be accused of targeting one person.
This behavior on behalf of The Airline is disgusting. It shows the lack of respect Management has for the flight attendant craft. Management does not view flight attendants as a valuable part of the company. We are seen as an easily replaced work force. The longer we're with The Airline, the more money they see us as costing The Airline.
It saddens me greatly that I've dedicated myself to The Airline and to this career for the past 10 years only to be branded a "thief" by Management. Every employee group is governed by Articvle VI, but have you ever heard of a pilot being questioned about the bottle of Sparkletts water hanging off his/her bag? Do you think anyone in Management would dare order a pilot to empty the contents of his/her bags? The Airline applies it's rules to whom it wants. There is not equal application of rules among all employee crafts. That isn't a secret. The Airline sees us as an easily intimidated work group.
I urge you all to take action. Please write a letter to:
**Name and Address of Union Representative**
Let him know we are united and if the company insists on conducting bag searches they must have "TRUE REASONABLE CAUSE." This isn't only about my crew and whether or not we will be fired. This is bigger than the three of us. We have to let Management know these actions further demoralize the flight attendant craft. These actions are creating a hostile work environment which causes increased stress, dissatisfaction and low morale. These actions are not going to engender feelings of loyalty to The Airline, nor are these actions going to make us want to "go the extra mile." Please let Management know you are not going to stand for this.
Pass this on to your friends. Tell them to be careful of what is in their bags and what they do or say on a flight because Big Brother is watching.
"Jill"
~ May your flights be smooth and your landings be soft ~
This illustrates the type of B.S. that goes on not only at airlines, but in almost any work environment where unions and managements butt heads over the goofiest issues. The woman described in what follows is possibly going to lose her job because she allegedly tried to walk off a plane with a partially-consumed bottle of water that was, in all liklihood, going to be thrown away anyway.
A few years ago, there was a similar story on CBS's 60 MINUTES where a TWA flight attendant was fired because she took a small carton of milk off of a plane to consume at her layover hotel in Paris. She didn't like the taste of French milk. The milk was going to be thrown away anyway. TWA fired her because it was their belief that it was THEIR garbage, and employees had no right to "steal" their garbage. Correspondent Ed Bradley confronted the TWA corporate lawyer on the issue and suggested that the REAL reason the flight attendant was terminated was because she was very active in her union. This was during the Carl Icahn-era labor strife at the airline. The corporate attorney didn't have too much to say. And that's pretty rare for an attorney.
You'd think this particular airline would have learned from the TWA experience.
B.S. like this is, unfortunately, not limited to the airline industry. I, myself, have been challenged by certain members of Management where I work because I was wearing white-colored socks instead of the dark colored socks specified by the dress code. I even had a supervisor attempt to physically reach over and pull up my pants leg to check and see if I was in compliance. I reminded her that every time she touched me she was, technically, physically assaulting me. She was laughing and trying to make light of the event, but the bottom line is that she wanted to know what color of socks I was wearing.
IMHO, it seems to be a pretty sad state of affiars that Managements can't find more important things to obsess over.
Dates, names, places, aircraft identifiers, airline names and other facts and figures have been "sanitized" for the purposes of posting this story. I don't want my flight attendant friend to get in trouble.
ONTPax :confused: :mad:
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hope you're all doing well. I wanted to get this out to all of you.
As some of you already know, last week Management conducted a bag search on my crew and me. We had a "ghost rider" on board. Management admitted the "ghost rider" was on board because Management was targeting one of my crew. We were a three-flight-attendant crew. The "ghost rider" was sitting in seat 1D on a 767. He was Seattle Onboard Supervisor Joe Schmoe. He was traveling on a $2,000.00 full fare ticket. The flight was from JFK to PHX. The flight was uneventful. The crew had a good rapport.
When we landed in PHX, we deplaned and were called over to the check-in counter where Supervisor Schmoe was waiting for us with two PHX supervisors. In view and in earshot of employees and passengers in the area around the check in counter, Mr. Schmoe identified himself and said he had "observed suspicious behavior" on the flight that led him to believe one or more of us had unauthorized company property in our possession. We were told we would be going to Inflight for a bag search. Once we arrived in Inflight, each flight attendant was placed in a separate room with a guard so we were not able to retrieve anything from our bags. The Union was contacted and, after two hours, a bag search was conducted. Although all three of us asked numerous times what the suspicious behavior was that Supervisor Schmoe had allegedly observed, we were never given an answer other than "suspicious behavior was observed that led him to believe one or more of us had unauthorized company property in our possession." Management never told us what that supposed suspicious behavior was. The flight attendant union representatives present opposed the bag search, but ultimately The Airline had its way.
An extremely thorough search of our belongings ensued. I was actually asked to empty my skirt uniform pockets and to shake out the sneakers I had been in my suitcase to show I hadn't hidden anything in my sneakers. In my tote bag, I had two Sparkletts water bottles. One bottle I had brought from home. The other bottle was opened, and it was left over from the service. I was asked if I had a receipt to show the closed bottle of water was purchased in a store. I did not. I was asked where the open bottle had come from. I admitted there were two partial bottles left over after the second beverage service, and I had condensed the contents of those two water bottles into one and had taken it rather than throwing it in the garbage. I was informed that action was a violation of Article of Conduct VI, and I would be given a letter-of-charge with possible termination. Both bottles of water were confiscated. The lot #'s on the bottles were noted and the bottles were placed in an evidence box.
After the search was completed, I was told to write a report noting I stated one bottle of water was brought from home and the other was taken off of the airplane. Please keep in mind, about four hours had passed and we still had not been told what The Airline was looking for or what we did during the flight that brought on this search. Finally, we were released, layed over and deadheaded home. Currently, we are all on suspension with pay pending a hearing.
For a company that is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, it sure has a lot of money to spend on this investigation. We're getting paid for trips we aren't flying, reserves are getting paid for working the trips we're already getting paid for; $2,000 first class seats are not being sold to revenue passengers so "ghost riders" can occupy them, and that's just for starters. The Airline has hired an outside laboratory to test water and wine that was in a plastic bottle to prove the contents belong to The Airline. Hmmm? That seems like prudent behavior for a company that's on the verge of bankruptcy, doesn't it?
Let me move on to the supervisors who are conducting the investigation. Don't they have any work to do that would actually build morale and boost productivity? Perhaps they should spend a little more time on tracking the passenger who shoved me last month on a flight instead of trying to track down the lot number from a bottle of water I told them I brought from home. Let me tell you guys, The Airline's policy of "Zero Tolerance" is a bunch of crap. The only area in which The Airline exercises "Zero Tolerance" is with flight attendant infractions, not with passengers who mishandle crew. That's just something they put on paper to look good.
Getting back to the bag search, I haven't told you the "suspicious behavior" Supervisor Schmoe saw. Six days after the bag search, I was finally given a copy of Joe Schmoe's report. As a courtesy to two passengers in economy who had already spent $40 on red wine, I asked the F/A I was working with in economy to bring me two glasses of red wine from First if there was an open bottle. He checked for me and brought back two First Class wine glasses with the open bottle of red wine. The two passengers were sitting in the exit row and the cart was parked there. Supervisor Schmoe says he could not see where the F/A brought the wine. That's "Suspicious Behavior # 1." The second "Suspicious Behavior" involves me. Toward the end of the flight, Supervisor Schmoe says he saw the purser come toward the back of the plane with 3 miniature bottles of liquor. At about row 18 or 19, he said she handed them to me. According to The Airline's Management, those two things warranted a bag search.
It's funny how Supervisor Schmoe couldn't see what the F/A did with the red wine and glasses he brought from First Class, but he could see the purser hand me the three minis at row 18 or 19. As all of you know, the transport of alcohol from one cabin to another isn't suspicious at all. It happens all the time. It seems like Management has never heard of one cabin running out of a type of beer or mini and the need to swap brands from the other liquor cart. Also, Management has forgotten the purser has the authority to comp drinks to passengers. If the purser wants to comp a couple of cocktails to someone in Coach he or she is within company policy to do so. You and I both know nothing Supervisor Joe Schmoe saw on that flight was suspect. The Airline must have "reasonable cause" to conduct a bag search. We know there was no reasonable cause.
Unfortunately, because Supervisor Joe Schmoe was so interested to get into one person's bags, he had to say other flight attendants and I were also suspect so he couldn't be accused of targeting one person.
This behavior on behalf of The Airline is disgusting. It shows the lack of respect Management has for the flight attendant craft. Management does not view flight attendants as a valuable part of the company. We are seen as an easily replaced work force. The longer we're with The Airline, the more money they see us as costing The Airline.
It saddens me greatly that I've dedicated myself to The Airline and to this career for the past 10 years only to be branded a "thief" by Management. Every employee group is governed by Articvle VI, but have you ever heard of a pilot being questioned about the bottle of Sparkletts water hanging off his/her bag? Do you think anyone in Management would dare order a pilot to empty the contents of his/her bags? The Airline applies it's rules to whom it wants. There is not equal application of rules among all employee crafts. That isn't a secret. The Airline sees us as an easily intimidated work group.
I urge you all to take action. Please write a letter to:
**Name and Address of Union Representative**
Let him know we are united and if the company insists on conducting bag searches they must have "TRUE REASONABLE CAUSE." This isn't only about my crew and whether or not we will be fired. This is bigger than the three of us. We have to let Management know these actions further demoralize the flight attendant craft. These actions are creating a hostile work environment which causes increased stress, dissatisfaction and low morale. These actions are not going to engender feelings of loyalty to The Airline, nor are these actions going to make us want to "go the extra mile." Please let Management know you are not going to stand for this.
Pass this on to your friends. Tell them to be careful of what is in their bags and what they do or say on a flight because Big Brother is watching.
"Jill"
~ May your flights be smooth and your landings be soft ~