US Airways Passenger Service: Meeting with Donna Paladini, Senior VP of Operations August 2, 2012

Jan Vail, who is over the workbrain group, said that CLT and PHL are the last two locations to get the new Workbrain.

She also admitted that the DCA clocks were not working but they recently fixed the problem. They have budgeted for this year and next for ATO’s to be able to access the ETM at home. No date for it being completed as of yet.

I asked if there was any way to have a workbrain message sent to a manager on duty or the admin. Manager, in case someone comes up as a no-show? We would like to ask that the company place a call to the employee to advise them they were a no-show within an hour of the start of the shift. This is done in some locations or done if the manager or shift manager likes you. I told them about an IAM member in CLT that no showed and a manager and co-worker were worried about him after calling him and went to his residence. Sadly, he was found dead. We are asking that the company show that type of compassion for all of their employees. Donna said they do care about the employees, she will look into it.

Jim Fahnestock, Director, Customer Service Training was also in attendance and he reviewed some of the new training courses they are planning. Here is the list he sent me to share with the membership;

Reservations:

• Customer Service Training – 4 hour classroom in September
• CSD agent training – expanding the PHX CSD desk with 6 new CSD agents – 1-week training starting 9/4/12
• 2012 PCI Security CBT course – yearly recurrent CBT - :30 minutes in September
• DM awards refresher training – 2 hour classroom in October
• QIK Rez November release training – self instructional training in October for 11/7 Qik release
• DOT’s Hazmat materials advisement training in Dec. for 1/1/13 implementation
• Kana to CRM training – new application for Kana users – in development and will be trained to those specific to Kana use in 4th Q.
• Email receipt ‘messsage scope” training – specific to some agents in ticketing for re-send of email receipts – training in September

Airport:

• Customer Service Training – 4 hour classroom in September-October
• CSA Domestic New Hire and International New Hire is continual all year (trained in PHL, PHX and CLT)
• CAR new hire training – 2-week training in PHL – August and September (increasing headcount in PHL)
• QIKChk November release training in October – self-instructional
• “One Kiosk” CBT training for 11 specific cities getting new kiosk application – August/September
• Wheel Chair Assist NYCU – :30 minute iLearning course – August/September
• NetTracer iLearning - :30 minute course for baggage agents – August
• Safety Reporting System – iLearning :15 minute course on how to report safety issues – August/September
• PCI Security standards 2012 – iLearning :15 minute course – August/September
• Accurate manifest – iLearning :15 minute course – August
• Ancillary Fees overview/refresher CBT – targeted for Nov/Dec.

Some of the training they are planning includes role playing to work on the de-escalation process when dealing with difficult situations and diffusing a situation to reduce a threatening situation. I had a discussion with Loretta Bove, Station Manager for LGA a few weeks ago after hearing from the LGA agents that management frowns on them calling the airport police when someone threatens them physically. She said she does not forbid them to call the police but they must use common sense, I told her they would but they need to be reassured they can call them. I asked her if our members are trained on how to diffuse a violent situation, she said she did not know of any training. I advised her I would raise this in Donna Paladini’s meeting. I guess after writing Donna about this issue when I heard about it she asked the training department to work on this.

The company is working on setting up agent focus groups for agents who deliver outstanding customer service. The company interviewed RES agents and customers and are using the video in the training classes.

They just had a 4 hour class on diversity training for admin and management

in July also.

Kerry Hester, Senior VP Operations planning and Support stated that Dot complaints are up 16% internally they are down 23 %. We are looking at 1 to 2 million dollars in fines because of the mishandling of special assist passengers. Some of the customers complained of waiting over 30 minutes for a wheelchair in some locations. They are adding handheld devices for the CARS and CSA’s so they can better monitor the handoff on the customers. The electric carts have been redone with red seats and handicapped signs so people do not think they can just jump on the cart if the are in a hurry. The carts are a problem in some locations because some ambulatory customers are not able to climb on and off the carts so they are looking into what can be done to fix this.

Kimberly Barboro, IBT Business agent discussed the problem with the sun and glare on the backs of agents at gate reader positions in PHX, they need to have the windows tinted in some areas. It is hard to see the screen with glare. Donna Paladini said she will review the meetings that have already taken place with the Airport management to see if they have come up with a solution.

Kimberly also discussed the issue of a ticket counter agent forced by management from her assigned position at the special services counter at the kiosk checkpoint because of the amount of waivers she does. All the waivers were checked and all were legitimate. It is common sense that someone in that job will have, on average, more waivers then an agent that does not work that position. We do not feel the company has the right to move her job assignement. She should be allowed to work that position and she is very good at it. Donna said she would review the situation and get back to us.

We complained about the panel interview process, it is very biased. We have CSS’s purposely trying to get on a level 2 so they can be downgraded. In many places we are short CSS’s. We had a CSS downgraded for being on a level 2 and the manager temp upgraded a CSA on a level 2 to cover the CSS position. It makes no sense and it is not fair. We find it hard to believe that a new hire can be a CSS yet a 20 plus year agents cannot pass the panel interview. Donna will review the panel interview process and she did say if someone is on a level 2 a CSA should not temp upgrade to cover a CSS.

I raised some issues about the PWM manager and her treatment of some employees and the favoritism and lack of confidentiality. Donna wanted to know if Jerry Calor Regional Director, was involved. I told her yes, he and HR were planning a visit there very soon.

*Update since this meeting, PWM manager has been let go.

JFK is the only ATO location not allowing agents to bid in person. Ron Harbinson said that Jerry Calor is willing to work with the Union to get the process set up to bid in person in JFK.

Kimberly discussed the lack of respect for the Union in PHX RES by some of the managers. There is very little communication and she is very frustrated by the way the shop stewards there are treated. Donna and Kerry both suggested some ways to fix the problems there and they are planning a follow up meeting.

I discussed the lack of professionalism, lack of accountability and total denigration of our members by the East level 3 hearing officer. We have advised Ron Harbinson that we do not want to continue having hearings with them if this continues. He said he would look into it. I sent him two letters from two of our local leaders about the hearing officer’s behavior and lack of interest in having hearings in person unless it was a termination. I told him we do not get this type of treatment in RES or on the WEST from the labor relations person that is assigned these locations.

In solidarity,

Velvet Hawthorne - Director - IBT-CWA Airline Customer
Service Employees Association
Cwa Staff Rep.