Well the United wasn't understaffed at the time. We were the most overstaffed airline in the business and our rampers were the highest paid. They had a really great contract back then. It was a gravy train that soon crashed.
So if they were overstaffed why would you hump the bag? Either way you are skewing the performance numbers. On principle if you do undocumented work, management looks at the numbers and says we have too many rampers, let some go.
Either way, it simply isn't your job, not your responsibility. Now, the classic response is. "its not my job is a poor attitude and work ethic". Yet it is not your responsibility to, under your own accord, to take on someone else's responsibility. This is performance welfare. Management loves it.
First point is just silly. I can carry a bag down stairs, a ramp guy can't pre-flight the plane.
That is why the IAM defines the work to their own members, because guys like you will do it. It sets a preceedent that mgmnt will exploit. The camels nose under the tent. But more importantly, if management can get anyone to do it, they will. I've seen middle and upper management on many flights and I've never seen them hump a bag. To be forthright, they always appeared that it was beneath them.
A late departure could screw a lot of other guys.
Not your responsibility. What other parts of the operation are you willing to to jump up and be johhny on the spot for? catering? Lav cleaning? cabin cleaning.... Why are any of these different?
All of this is honorable work done by people who are just trying to scrape by on a meager existence and along comes you in your crisp, clean uniform ready to beat them down another rung, by gladly doing their job for free....
I tried to work within the system as long as I could.
It isn't hard. Follow the COM and AOM, FARs, CFR, and CBA.
So who do you think its better to screw; a notional principle that taking a bag downstairs will take someone's job away (keeping in mind other IAM contracts don't have this provision, I asked),
It is not a notional principle. It is fundamental. At one of my regionals we'd have this debate ad nauseum. At one point a pilot washed a RJ windshield. The company wrote it up in the flight ops newsletter as this pilot was being a good guy, all things wonderful. He was slammed and personally embarrassed. Used by mgmt.
You are not management.
It doesn't matter if other IAM contracts don't have this provision. If you get pulled over by a cop do you tell him that another towns laws are different?
or to directly screw the next crew to take my aircraft, not to mention those trying to get connecting flights, including several airline employees.
The next crew isn't expecting or hoping that you'll hump bags. They know the system is dependant on good management, not johhny on the spot.
Second point: Silly also and totally untrue. Workman's comp is pretty liberal.
As an elected ALPA rep who worked an OJI case and discussed others with our CA, you are wrong.
Last point the plane of existence I live on is based in reality. When we are talking about that which is theoretical we work within that system until it no longer becomes viable because of reality. For example: if a bag was sitting where someone could trip over it, theoretically you are not supposed to touch a bag because it is taking someone's job away, but if someone is about to trip over that bag, do you move it? Of course you do, the real trumps the theoretical.
Catastrophic failure. I've a soft spot for moms traveling with kids alone. I do whatever I can to help. Moving a bag to prevent personal injury and violating a labor contract is not valid. Personal injury and on time are not the same.
Well theoretically in my case what if we were really late
, or even worse.. what if you were like really,
really late?
and the next crew wound up having their day extended and were really fatigued then crashed? All because we waited for someone to come and move that bag off the jetway. How is that any less valid than the IAM's assertion?
Then document it!!! These problems won't get fixed when you act autonomously. Management looks at numbers. Data. You are skewing the data. They don't see the problem because you mask it.
If you insist on humping bags and cleaning lavs then you must document it to show where the weaknesses are in the system!
Help the crew that got extended by giving them the facts so they can also file a report.
Honestly in the real world you would probably do the same thing as I did and probably have, just nobody decided to file a grievance against you, because pilots did it, CS did it FA's did it, and even rampers would ask for help occasionally, like with electric wheelchairs.
Denial and personal justification don't work here. You were a professional pilot, and expected to behave accordingly. What you are saying here is, as the older kid: well the younger kids were doing it too!
So what is your point? Next time don't help with the wheelchair,
Nope. I recall waiting with a family member whose wife was in a wheelchair. The man stated he used to get angry but now just accepts it. Airlines have contracted out wheelchair service to the lowest bidder (
your capitalism at its best...) It is the airlines responsibility. Not yours. If they truely want good WC service they'd do it. I am sure Glenn's bonus for raping pilot pay and pensions would fix the wheelchair problem.
let someone trip over a bag,
Be a big boy and move the bag. It is ok.
screw the next crew so they may become fatigued and crash,
Suddenly you are responsible for another crews professional assessment to determine their own state of fatigue? Who is responsible for determining your fatigue status? A guy just like you on an earlier flight who is johnny on the the spot humping bags?
make sure everyone misses their connecting flights,
Show me in the FOM or CBA that you are responsible for
everyone catching their connecting flights.
make sure some ailine employees don't get home that day,
Are you going to drive them home?
and commuting pilots don't make their trips,
Commuting pilots know the reality of commuting. They are prepared to go the the crashpad or get a hotel. What they probably don't like is pilots working for free and masking mgmnt incompetence.
all for notional protection of a contract provision? This is what you do in the REAL world?
You describe it as notional when it is fundamental. At a minimal it is codified federal law. So what you are advocating is breaking federal law.
I doubt you've ever functioned as a Part 121 PIC? I don't want my FOs bouncing out of the cockpit to hump bags. I want them in their seat, relaxed and ready to do their job. If they have 5 mons to hump bags then they have 5 mins to go to to the back end and run a little C/L/R with the FAs. In addition, if something comes up critical to flight safety I want them there so I don't have to explain it to them and get them up to speed when they come back from bag humping. The most critical part of SA is knowing whats happened. Also, if something comes up and the captain has to leave the flight deck it is awkward because no else is there because you gotta be johnny on the spot, humping bags.
The last thing I want is a pax telling me to go hump bags all because someone like you set an example. "well the United guy took my bag down so we could leave on time... why wont you?"
Professional pilots do not hump bags, clean lavs or other clearly defined job descriptions of other employees. It degrades the profession and motivates management to get us to devalue ourselves. Have some self respect.
