Suggestion
Posted by Paul Cox on April 25th, 2009
One rap on this blog is that it doesn’t look at positives often enough. That is a fair criticism, although I think it kind of misses the point of the blog.
However… here’s something. How about a simple suggestion for the FAA: Cap the supervisory and management numbers, at all levels (nationally, regionally, and at the local facility level) at the same percentage as the CPC portion of the workforce.
After all, if the FAA is in great shape, then the managers won’t have any trouble.
And if the FAA is NOT in a healthy staffing posture, then we need more people actually working airplanes (hell, make this agency-wide; we need more people inspecting airplanes and fixing radios and planning airports and doing flight inspections and creating approaches and everything else that the FAA does) and fewer people managing.
Whaddya think? Simple enough proposal. Your facility’s staffing complement calls for 180 and you’ve got 80% FPLs (CPCs), with the rest made up of trainees? Then you can’t promote anyone into management or add any managers/supervisors.
If we gotta work short, they should too. Simple concept.
Odds of passing: Zero, but what the hell, we’ll throw it out there.
April 25th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
You’re not the only one floating the idea of returning cubicle dwellers to the boards.
Since this and other blogs are visited regularly by FAA management, maybe someone will pick up the ball and run with it!
Get rid of your boss! Move up the ladder! Turn him/her over as qualified to work traffic! Out the traffic dodgers hiding in their cubicles, send their names to LaHood! Get an “On the spot” award!
$50 bird dog fee paid for every referral!
April 25th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
The fact of the matter is we simply do not need the services or skills of FLMs. The controllers are our facility regularly run all facets of the shift, approving leave, logging equipment in and out, running the break board and get this *working traffic.* All the while our esteemed management workforce flexes in and out 3 or 4 hours early, hides in the front office performing “management activities” with no oversight or accountability over what they are actually doing all day.
The sups at my facility are nice enough people, but none of them deserve the kind of money they are getting paid, for such a small amount of actual work. The entire FLM workforce could call in sick tomorrow and the effect would be transparent to NAS users. If the FAA were running it like a business, 90% of them would be gone tomorrow, or forced back to working airplanes.
BTW, why are they still getting pay raises and CIP?
April 25th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Why make a suggestion to the FAA, or even the DOT? Now you can take issue with the FAA having too many supervisors straight to the President.
“Obama asks rank and file feds for cost-cutting tips”
http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=42568&dcn=todaysnews
April 25th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Management are typical low life people that are taking advantage of what was given to them as a gift from Bush/Blakey, Unchecked power to do what ever they wish to do. They are sticking together and staying out of the area 3 days a week and showing themselves “Working” 7.95 hours a day. (I thought Ventris said you could get fired for falsifying information? I guess that is for the peons, huh?) Many of them COULD help out when staffing gets bad, but they rather get overtime (Even though they can ONLY work unneeded D-sides) and get added benefits for doing nothing rather than really help out by not playing on the computers in the back office for hours on end and STAY in the area. Last year we ran out of OT money because the supes worked so much overtime and ran us out, they NEVER got sent home, they NEVER worked a 4 or 6 hour assigned overtime (Unless THEY wanted to) and NEVER had an overtime canceled. They abused the hell out of the controllers so most everybody went on the NO list and they got most all of the overtimes. I know it hard to believe that they treated us differently from their peers, I know that just sounds like it could not happen, but guess what? It sure enough did happen. I saw just recently they asked around for someone to take leave (Because someone had turn in their leave) so they would not have to cancel a supe’s overtime. I have NEVER seen them do this for a controller, but they sure enough did it for a peer. then the supe work a d-side on a sector that never had more than 10 planes in it all day long with the exception of getting the other supe out on extended breaks. You wonder why we hate supes and never trust them? When they hand you a cancellation of overtime 1 day before the shift or call you when you ON THE ROAD to work for THAT overtime and they say it is because we want to be good stewards of the tax payer’s money and then abuse overtime when it comes to lining their own pockets, Yeah that is when.
How often do you come to work and there are 3 Supes there at 7 AM and 3 controllers? (They continually have pushed our shifts later and later so we could potentially cover two shifts (With holdover), but it is something they rather not do IMAGINE THAT) But because of that we have NOBODY on break during briefing on a regular basis and HALF of our staff on break between 2:30pm and 6 pm. WTF??
April 26th, 2009 at 4:18 am
Maybe La Hood will do what Congresmenr Overstar said last April…….clean the FAA out from top to bottom….well being honest for a change and releasing the bird strike data is a start.
Bow let’s clean out FAA management that is inept, stupid, dishonest. That would be 90% of themanegemnt.
April 26th, 2009 at 4:18 am
Maybe La Hood will do what Congresmenr Overstar said last April…….clean the FAA out from top to bottom….well being honest for a change and releasing the bird strike data is a start.
now let’s clean out FAA management that is inept, stupid, dishonest. That would be 90% of the manegmemnt.
April 26th, 2009 at 5:05 am
One of the first things Babbitt is going to notice is that the ATO is so top heavy with management, it’s about to fall over. Both at the service centers and out in the field.
12 ATO VPs ?
It’s like Oberstar said, we only have one VP to run the whole government.
I counted the number of people assigned to SCT in management positions (they don’t all work in the building interestingly enough) it’s about 60, with 7 more temp FLMs to be selected.
There are about 170 or so CPCs, 40 trainees, 10 staff and 12 TMCs.
FAA has determined they need nearly 70 people to supervise 230.
Setting aside the absurdity of the Bush Blakey, running it like a business jive, there isn’t an entity anywhere in the world making a dime of profit with that span of control.
April 26th, 2009 at 9:05 am
When you watch congressional testimony about staffing issues and contract issues and you see the head of FAAMA say his solution is TO HIRE MORE MANAGEMENT FOR MORE OVERSIGHT you have to wonder WTF are they thinking? Seriously I watched this guy and for the entire time he talked he talked about how important they where and how they needed to ensure their numbers stay steady at a minimum and increase if at all possible to ensure safety. This guy was elected to speak for all of front line managers and that is what he had to say. Does that not scare anybody? This is OUR leadership and this is what they had prepared for a congressional testimony about staffing a couple of years ago. Not screening new hires, not hire more people, not pay new hires more, not retain people about to retire, just save our jobs we don’t care about the rest of the operation.
Mark my words, when traffic picks up (And we ALL know it will and that it could be sooner than later) we will have our asses handed to us. We are totally unprepared for a return to pre 2007 traffic levels let alone an increase above that.
April 26th, 2009 at 11:29 am
It’s not just FAAMA Zab. When PSP apch airspace was being incorporated in to SCT, and some concerns were expressed by local pilots, the FAA’s own johnny on the spot mouth piece Ian Gregor told the world that the PSP operation would be safer if run out of SCT because there were so many more FLMs than at PSP tower.
Senator Boxer didn’t buy that argument (FAA’s original plan was no extra bodies and certs based on radar simulated traffic only). She forced FAA to TDY PSP controllers to SCT….a practice that is still going on today, until the EMP area’s staffing is up to snuff.
Getting the staffing ratios correct will be one of Babbitt’s biggest challenges.
April 26th, 2009 at 11:49 am
There have been two incidents this year that that expose to the flying public who is really responsible for their well being, Flight 1549 in the Hudson and the King Air emergency in South Florida. Not once have I seen a quote from a Front Line Manager(FLM) or Manager of either facility explaining what management was doing to help in either emergency. Their existence is based strictly on created work that contributes nothing to the users and taxpayers of the system.
During the 1990′s the FAA was able to cut the supervisor to controller ratio significantly with the Controller In Charge(CIC) program at a substantial savings to the Federal Government. During the Blakey Administration, which everyone knows was a Union busting regime, the ratio was allowed to reach ridiculous numbers like 5/6 to 1 solely for the purpose of pressuring senior controllers to retire. Now is the time to evaluate the purpose of the position of FLM and it’s contribution to the system. I believe that the majority of FLM’s can be eliminated and the CIC program along with an administrative (GS-5/7/9) secretary could manage operations along with necesary paperwork. Human Resources, Airspace and Procedures, Quality Assurance and Traffic Management handle all operational decisions with no input from FLM’s, they are usually the least exprienced in their area of specialization, and can continue to do so. At a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars per FLM per year the savings would be substantial and I belive much more effective.
April 26th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
The salary of one FLM at my facility makes up for my B-Scale wage (compared to the A-Scale) no less than 3 times over.
April 27th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Little off topic, but an interesting read: http://www.av8rdan.com/ Blog there today publishes his latest unscientific poll and rates ATC. Overall: Excellent work. The controllers do their jobs and make the impossible happen everyday. Kudos to those on the boards and in the towers.
April 27th, 2009 at 9:17 am
That is part of why staffing is allowed to tank and how the FAA gets away with so many things. Controllers make it work, we work short and still don’t have a deal, we keep working shorter and shorter, stay on sector combined longer than we should because there is no choice, we stay on sector longer than it is safe to because we are not even offered a break before 3.5 hours but if we don’t have a deal or even if we do and it is “only” a Proximity event then all is good.
This is not the world’s worst job (At least we HAVE a job) but what most of us are mad about is the pay disparity between management and the new hires, seriously that is ridiculous I seriously want to see the first person to get a $50K raise (almost double their salary).
The fact the FAA puts us in harms way on a regular basis but we still make it work and THEY claim we are in the safest period in aviation history (To correct that we are in the LUCKIEST period in aviation history) We are MAD as hell that people will HAVE to die to bring this to light
I agree with A. waiting, controllers on a regular basis do a great job.
April 27th, 2009 at 9:45 am
I agree with Zabnut when he says, “Mark my words, when traffic picks up (And we ALL know it will and that it could be sooner than later) we will have our asses handed to us. We are totally unprepared for a return to pre 2007 traffic levels let alone an increase above that.”
The 10% to 20% downturn in traffic is all that’s kept the atc system limping along during the past year. With oil at $50 a barrel and the economy ready to take off, the FAA’s failed hiring plan will soon be front page news.
April 27th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
This sounds just like the talk I heard in the mid 60′s when I hired into the FAA. I heard it again in 1981. Now again, for the third time or, if you will, ATC 3G. Wake up folks! ATC 4G is here. Yawn…..
April 28th, 2009 at 8:03 am
As recently as this week we’ve got new kids failing check rides, we’re reducing flow rates for old guys who should have retired, and more people are leaving through the summer. Keep yawning grandpa.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Arlen Specter to change party affilliation!!! Can you say bye-bye FILIBUSTER!
Later wing-nuts, enjoy that one-way trip to oblivion. BTW, take Ian Gregor with you!
April 28th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Given the loons on both sides of the isle, one party rule should make you very afraid.
April 30th, 2009 at 5:34 am
…Given the loons on both sides of the isle, one party rule should make you very afraid….
Well lets see, in 2006, with Republican control of the WH and Congress, we got the Bush Blakey shi*t sandwich IWRs shoved down our throats (if you’re a controller).
I’d say you’re a little late to the party.