Stupid, or delusional?
Posted by Paul Cox on December 2nd, 2009
The line between stupidity and delusions is a thin one at times. We have two good examples in the FAA this week.
Stupid is… the manager of a smaller up/down facility in the Midwest who put out a memo banning visitors to the facility because “the FAA is asking managers to take precautionary measures to protect Agency employees by minimizing potential exposure to the H1N1 and other viruses.”
It’s almost delusional to think that this is somehow going to limit the odds of employees getting the swine flu. Say a facility sees 5 visitors a week (and that’s an optimistic estimate for many facilities; most don’t see that many) who now will not be allowed into the facility. How many people do you think an individual is exposed to in a DAY? How about in a single trip to the grocery store, how many people do you think you’re exposed to? 15? 20? 40?
So plainly, banning visitors to the facility is stupid in terms of sheer numbers. Also, visitors to a facility generally don’t put their hands on the equipment that the controllers are using- their headsets, keyboards, trackballs and mice, strip holders, etc. The most common way to transmit/receive the flu or cold viruses is through touching things that other people have touched, and then touching your face. (The easiest way to reduce your risk to colds/flu… wash your hands frequently and don’t touch your face.)
And the manager proved his stupidity by promptly breaking the rule that he established when he brought his own child into the facility after his ban. He had to go in for something during non-traditional hours and apparently had no babysitter, so he just toted the child in with him. Said child doesn’t work for the FAA, of course, so he’s a visitor, and therefore should be banned…
…but of course we all know that rules established by FAA managers don’t actually APPLY to them, only to their subordinates.
The good news is that stupidity can, despite the “you can’t fix stupid” joke, can be cured or at least mediated. That’s often a large part of the union’s job- stopping managers from their stupidity.
Tune in Friday for an example of delusional FAA thought.
December 2nd, 2009 at 3:01 am
The top of the FAA knows that their managers are all too stupid to read a book and know what it says. That’s why the taxpayers have to fly them to Atlanta so it can be read to them.
December 2nd, 2009 at 6:53 am
You’re nicer than I would be. As long as these managers remain nameless (i.e., “smaller up/down … Midwest”) these idiots will continue unabated. He signs the memo, the name can be published.
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:44 am
From a prior thread:
SCTONTRAT Says:
November 30th, 2009 at 5:24 pm
“you’ll never retire and you know it. You’re just like Marks, say one thing and do another.”
Didn’t know you were a mind reader Rat, impressive. But it’s exactly the type of hypocrisy and stupidity on management’s part that Paul lays out in this post that has me counting down my days and counting up my money. Lets meet for a brew after I retire, I’ll buy.
December 2nd, 2009 at 11:49 am
Another fine example of rules don’t apply to us in management (do as I say and not as we do).
December 2nd, 2009 at 7:42 pm
I asked my ATM one day why he didn’t report the Vehicle Deviation we both saw when he was in the tower. Regardless of the rule that required the report, he said he had certain latitude when it comes to reporting such things. He went even further by modifying the log entry I had already made so that no Vehicle Deviation could be inferred from it. You might think this would qualify as falsifying official documents. Nope. Not in the FAA. If you worked in my facility, you might remember the occasion on which a controller got suspended for falsifying official documents by the same manager who made the aforementioned false log entry. That same manager could not say for sure what false information was added to what official document and could not say how he knew the employee being disciplined had done it. And no, I’m not making that up. And yes, I still have a copy of the false log entry he made.
Another manager expressed her concern to me one day that evaluators were coming to the facility and they would probably discover a training form she had found without the signature of the trainee. She asked me to do my best to forge his signature. I did (and did a pretty good job of it.) Nothing else came of it. I was young and stupid then.
December 2nd, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Here’s some money well spent by our Union. We’re gonna need more however.
The Ninth Circuit Awards Gilding $15,142.50
Wednesday, November 25, 2009, 05:00 PM
Posted by Administrator
On November 25, Ninth Circuit Commissioner Peter Shaw assessed a $15,142.50 sanction against NATCA for filing a frivolous appeal. The sanction is to be paid directly to Mr. Gilding.
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:48 am
Max, how’s the whole ‘compensation’ thing working out for ya?