Don't like the uniform? - see your union rep
 

Admittedly this is the US Air Force Reserve we are talking about here, but nevertheless a strange situation to find yourself in with any uniformed personnel.

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/...150977,00.html

The Air Force Reserve may be an unrivaled wingman to the active duty force, but it's also a conflicted one right now, with air reserve technicians angry over a new policy mandating daily uniform wear on the job.

And that's prompted some to increasingly talk like the union members many are.

Bristling at the new regs, some reservists intend to pressure the Air Force into scrubbing the new uniform policy - a demand that could have a ripple effect on Air Force missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Stop volunteering for Air Expeditionary Force rotations" is the call rebel Air Force reservists are making.

"We've got to do something to get their attention," said Master Sgt. Jerry Merrill, a KC-135 crew chief at March Air Reserve Base, Calif., and vice president of local 3854 of the American Federation of Government Employees.

I was a little confused reading through this the first time, but the link to the discussion board sheds some light.

It seems that these guys have full-time civilian jobs maintaining Air Force aircraft. These jobs do not provide the same pay and benefits as military personnel but also do not come with all downsides of military service - they are civilian jobs and hence have a union. Sounds familiar so far but, unlike our contractorized servicing, it seems that these jobs also include a reservist commitment of so many days per year plus some deployments (voluntary?). The closest that I can think of in the UK is the met office folks who are civil servants (with a union) at home, but don a uniform when deployed.
The DoD now want these people to wear their reservist uniforms every day, even when they are performing the civilian element of their jobs. It sounds like a cheap trick in order to maintain an illusion of military manning - when the jobs have actually been civilianized.

In fact, it is surprising that our lot didn't think of it first. We could put the Serco gate staff in RAFP uniforms, force the sim instructors to wear flying suits and pretend that the mess staff are actually helpful. Civvies in uniform giving the impression of a military force. The army, of course, would say that the RAF has been playing that trick for years. :}

You're joking?! I'm told light blue matches my eyes...:rolleyes:

"and pretend that the mess staff are actually helpful"
Excellent spot!

The MMU, for info.

Sponsored Reserves
 

Actually, we do have this system - as I understand it, 'Sponsored Reserves' are civil servants whose job requires them to be a member of the reserve forces and bpt deploy every so often in uniform. It was in vogue a while ago when we had a cap on military posts, and I think that a Sqn at EGUB was going to employ one as an ops clerk. Anyone know how that went?

It's dreadfully cheap as you get nearly a serviceman for the capitation rate of a civilian.

I must take issue with that comment.

Sure, in some training messes it's like living in a Travelodge with little to no interest shown by the contractors.

But at my secret Norfolk airbase, you couldn't ask for a nicer and more helpful bunch of gals: from my batty (fnarrr) to the receptionists. Including the service chefs and stewards - but that's usually always a given.

Credit where credit's due eh!

"These jobs do not provide the same pay and benefits as military personnel but also do not come with all downsides of military service - they are civilian jobs and hence have a union. Sounds familiar so far but, unlike our contractorized servicing, it seems that these jobs also include a reservist commitment of so many days per year plus some deployments (voluntary?)."


Yes, a pre-requisite to be granted the job is that the applicant must join the Reserves (or already be a member) within a certain number of days from being granted the job, or be fired.

Actually, the pay for that civilian job (plus the medical insurance, etc) total well above the combined pay/benefits package of the active-duty personnel who do the same job.

I know this because a few years after I left the USMC I applied for such a position (I didn't get it).


Many civilian positions within the Defense field require uniforms... when a civilian tech-rep (technical representative of either a defense contractor or the DOD) deploys aboard ship with the USN/USMC, they are required to wear the khaki uniform of Chief Petty Officers... without rank or collar insignia. They simply have a name-tag that lists both their name and the name of the company or agency they are employed by.

I saw these uniforms when my squadron deployed on CV-61 Ranger in 1985-87 (I worked with 2 such tech-reps daily).