CLT Baggage Meltdown?

[SparrowHawk]

The quote below is from a ramper in CLT. How many times will the airline skate by before there is another Christmas Meltdown screwing something like 72,000 customers?

Does some have to get killed on the ramp before folks in Tempe wise up?

To this customer the goal is clear. US wants to overwork the folks at Hubs and stations with high TOS in the hopes that they'll retire, go on disability or die in order to lower costs.

I guess Budweiser is more expensive than we first thought :angry: :angry: :angry:

Happy Memorial day every one. Just fyi CLT is working very short staffed tonight. My guess sick calls & more OJI"s as US is pushing us to the breaking point.


I was told by some one who would that the busiest unit out there which should have 35-37 folks ONLY has 22 tonight. They're really trying to hurt us.

 

[OldGuyinPA]

Remember....

Haste makes waste...
Safety is my pace....

 

[28L_or_10R?]

The quote below is from a ramper in CLT. How many times will the airline skate by before there is another Christmas Meltdown screwing something like 72,000 customers?

Does some have to get killed on the ramp before folks in Tempe wise up?

To this customer the goal is clear. US wants to overwork the folks at Hubs and stations with high TOS in the hopes that they'll retire, go on disability or die in order to lower costs.

I guess Budweiser is more expensive than we first thought :angry: :angry: :angry:

This is the America West way of running a ramp. Work with as few people as possible. The hope is that people don't stay long and the revolving door keeps the very junior and low-paid employees shuffling in then out. Employees that stay too long cost way too much. Blown knees, bad backs and the usual effects of aging are a long-term liability that this airline does not want to deal with. If the revolving door does not work, PIT for example, then they will outsource whoever they can.

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

To this customer the goal is clear. US wants to overwork the folks at Hubs and stations with high TOS in the hopes that they'll retire, go on disability or die in order to lower costs.

There are ample anecdotal stories of this going on. A lot. If CWA had any guts, it would have said something about it.

 

[Jimmy Neutron]

Here is the thing folks.....

Do your job, (YOUR JOB ONLY) to the best of your ability.....with the tools they give you.....

This is the way the company wants to run their operation, then so be it......You won't save the airline, it won't save your job,(Just ask the people from PIT) and if you get hurt out there trying to be a double-bagger, the company will sik their high priced anti-worker OJI experts on you denying you at every turn....

So you do the job the way you were trained to do it....at a safe pace and BY THE RULES!!!!!!!PERIOD----NO EXCEPTIONS.....

If it's Chaos they want....I will be at the front line giving them what they want......They obviously don't give a RATS A** about the customer, whether their bags make it or what type of experience they have on this carrier...and I'm sure Doug Parker really cares about us or anyone else while him and his family are sitting by their pool in their million+ mansion in the desert...

SO take their clue, and do as they do.....I know I won't be losing any sleep tonight....either....

 

[blownkneesbob]

people expend more energy B*tching about not having enough help. I suggest you take jimmys advice. If the job gets done with on 2 guys on the gate then guess what . Rich whats his name gets
the golden cactus award from tempe and the staffing will continue to be substandard. So how to fix the problem. Pretty simple. WORK SAFE that means 5 bags on the belt SPACED OUT. That means
if you are feeling dizzy , light headed, or faint. GET out of the BIN and get indoors get replenished with liquids . IF that happens to be in the middle of loading a PHX flt or PHL or CLT then SO BE IT.
YOU HAVE TO WORK SAFE ON EVERY FLIGHT not just the ones going to NON HUB stations. We have NO ONE to BLAME but our selves if you guys are going to keep working short handed on 96 degree days
the company is loving it. and when they come around and look at man power next schedule change more lines will be lost. This isnt Alleghany Airlines or Piedmont Airlines no more .. so work accordingly
remember Rich is just a puppet for Hemmingway so he will not speak up against tempe like Jim did so its up to the 1200 employees to speak up as ONE.

 

[Harry Callahan]

We (as a group) in Charlotte are our own worst enemy. As others have said EVERYONE needs to work safe & stop cutting corners to get the job done. Now I know this won't be popular wit some folks but STOP working over time. A couple days of no over time would have DP. in Charlotte. If you need the money that bad take a swap & help a brother or sister who needs a day off.

 

[28L_or_10R?]

We have several guys at our station from Vegas that like to run around like they're beating snakes. They want to be the only one in the bin, slam the bags without space on the beltloader and have anxiety attacks about planes going out late (even though they are not leads). As a former West agent, I know that is the old America West way of doing things on the ramp. Some Vegas guys figured they should just chillax (chill-relax) and get with the east routine. Others not so much. Anyone else notice this at other stations? Nice enough guys but they need to take a nerve pill.

 

[signals]

See to me this presents a problem in security. Good thing TSA must not be conducting their attention to detail and flaws sweeps...or whatever you call them h34r:

Understaffed gates may be a problem because those who mean us harm may get to where we don't want them. It's been proven locally and some lost their jobs. 'Nuf sed h34r:

 

[Jester]

We have several guys at our station from Vegas that like to run around like they're beating snakes. They want to be the only one in the bin, slam the bags without space on the beltloader and have anxiety attacks about planes going out late (even though they are not leads). As a former West agent, I know that is the old America West way of doing things on the ramp. Some Vegas guys figured they should just chillax (chill-relax) and get with the east routine. Others not so much. Anyone else notice this at other stations? Nice enough guys but they need to take a nerve pill.

And why Southwest kicks our arses... the old West mentality was to get the flights out on time, and now the old East mentality of "what's the hurry?" has begun to infect everyone of the ramp. Personally, I think most of the guys from LAS are great, even as "guys with clip boards". Ladies, we are paid to do a job, which means getting flights out on time, and yes, sometimes it means hustling.

And oh, I spoke with former US FSA, Cream Horn Pastry recently, who works for one of the other guys... two man team, 180 bags download with 210 bags upload, in a 35 minute turn. And we complain about short stacking an A320 with 60 bags during that same amount of time? If you all want to make the Southwest money, we better get ready for that same level of productivity (translation: working faster, working harder, and working more flights in a shift), and with the malignant mentality of indifference, it won't happen.

So Reminds Jester.

 

[Black Magic]

Cost nuetral=Effort nuetral. Do your job safe and do it within reason expected of you. There is nobody in management to impress as the higher ups don't care about lower level management either. The company doesn't give 2 sugars about the employees of this company and would sell any they could down a river to keep the door spinning with new hires. Point case with the atrocious attendance policy specifically designed for turnover. When you have to continually do clt inbound and outbound turn with only 1hour to do it, 30 gate check bags, everything seperated, ect. the repetitive "we appreciate the great job you are doing" only goes so far and begins fall on deaf ears. 4 bags on a belt and 2 people in the bin when needed is the correct way, if the company wants all these quick turns then they need to staff accordingly. We will never have SW top pay period! They are the exact opposite type of company that puts employees first that makes money hand over fist and uses point to point flying. Shoot, we won't even get 2nd class pay equal to Delta or United. That is the biggest reason AWA and US survives by keeping employee costs low.

Its ironic to me that even though US keeps coming 1st in mishandled bags yet they STILL try every way possible to writeup/fire the rampers when given the chance. "We appreciate the great job you are doing" uh huh right <_<

 

[nycbusdriver]

And why Southwest kicks our arses... the old West mentality was to get the flights out on time, and now the old East mentality of "what's the hurry?" has begun to infect everyone of the ramp. Personally, I think most of the guys from LAS are great, even as "guys with clip boards". Ladies, we are paid to do a job, which means getting flights out on time, and yes, sometimes it means hustling.

And oh, I spoke with former US FSA, Cream Horn Pastry recently, who works for one of the other guys... two man team, 180 bags download with 210 bags upload, in a 35 minute turn. And we complain about short stacking an A320 with 60 bags during that same amount of time? If you all want to make the Southwest money, we better get ready for that same level of productivity (translation: working faster, working harder, and working more flights in a shift), and with the malignant mentality of indifference, it won't happen.

So Reminds Jester.

As long as there are "hustlers" out there who want to get the flight out on time at all costs (and manage to do just that,) then where, pray tell, is Tempe's incentive to ever pay Southwest rates?

Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free?

 

[Phoenix]

And why Southwest kicks our arses... the old West mentality was to get the flights out on time, and now the old East mentality of "what's the hurry?" has begun to infect everyone of the ramp. Personally, I think most of the guys from LAS are great, even as "guys with clip boards". Ladies, we are paid to do a job, which means getting flights out on time, and yes, sometimes it means hustling.

And oh, I spoke with former US FSA, Cream Horn Pastry recently, who works for one of the other guys... two man team, 180 bags download with 210 bags upload, in a 35 minute turn. And we complain about short stacking an A320 with 60 bags during that same amount of time? If you all want to make the Southwest money, we better get ready for that same level of productivity (translation: working faster, working harder, and working more flights in a shift), and with the malignant mentality of indifference, it won't happen.

So Reminds Jester.

Jester, The king just called and said you need to return to the palace immediately because you haven't finished polishing out the scratches on his mahogany toilet seat.

 

[Harry Callahan]

As long as there are "hustlers" out there who want to get the flight out on time at all costs (and manage to do just that,) then where, pray tell, is Tempe's incentive to ever pay Southwest rates?

Why buy the cow when you get the milk for free?

You've hit the nail on the head. Jester does NOT get it.(If he really is Flt. Svc.) You've got to do the job SAFE & stop cutting corners. What I give to to have access to the oji's just in CLT. We have way to many & they increase daily. US does NOT care about ANY of us. No matter where you work you need to understand this & work that way. Do the job SAFE.

 

[wings396]

And why Southwest kicks our arses... the old West mentality was to get the flights out on time, and now the old East mentality of "what's the hurry?" has begun to infect everyone of the ramp. Personally, I think most of the guys from LAS are great, even as "guys with clip boards". Ladies, we are paid to do a job, which means getting flights out on time, and yes, sometimes it means hustling.

And oh, I spoke with former US FSA, Cream Horn Pastry recently, who works for one of the other guys... two man team, 180 bags download with 210 bags upload, in a 35 minute turn. And we complain about short stacking an A320 with 60 bags during that same amount of time? If you all want to make the Southwest money, we better get ready for that same level of productivity (translation: working faster, working harder, and working more flights in a shift), and with the malignant mentality of indifference, it won't happen.

So Reminds Jester.

I have done this job for many years, and hustled when I needed to. Some guys hustle like morons when the don't have to. There is a difference between working hard, and working smart. Both ways get the job done in a timely fashion, with the smart way preventing injury to yourself or those around you. I must say that I believe that your "Pals" bag numbers and the 35 minute turn time are a bit overstated. Moving 390 bags with 2 guys in 35 minutes is far fetched. For one they must not be scanning them, and I can't imagine that one guy in the bin is stacking that may bags alone unless it's a 757 with the moving bin floors. I remember working MCO flts with those type of bags numbers on a 734, and you can only toss so many out of the bin before you need another guy.