Station Visits...

One of the benefits of being a district rep is the ability to do station visits. Unfortunately, due to numerous system boards, arbitrations, and committee responsibilities I have been limited inthe amount of station visits I have made lately. It is my belief these visits are vital; they give me the chance to sit and visit with you, the members. They also give you the membership the opportunity to directly communicate with me. Recently, I have been lucky to be able to manipulate my schedule and visit 80 percent of the stations in our district. I do hope to have that up to 100 percent by the time this article is printed. If I have missed you during one of these visits I do apologize. Hopefully, I will see you on my next visit. Please feel free to call me anytime. Staffing While watching the 2012 pro-bowl game, SWA had a commercial that disturbed me. It was a ramp agent who was reporting to his supervisor that he was hurt while working a flight. The supervisor told the agent to shake it off and go back to work. The supervisor was telling the agent that they do not want to let the customer down. As much as this upset me, I realize that that mentality is a very unfortunate reality. I have talked with numerous agents who would bust theirs butts and do whatever it took to get an airplane out on time. The ill-fated result is generally followed by unforeseen physical damages to the agent that after time decrease his or her ability to work (i.e. earn money and provide for his or her family). This condition usually occurs from poor staffing. During one station visit, the conversation turned to staffing, or should I say, “The lack of staffing” (more importantly, the causes and effects of working without the proper staffing). During the conversation a member was telling me about a fellow brother who went above and beyond for the company by loading the entire back of the aircraft by himself. I know some of you are saying that is nothing special. You may do it all the time. That member suffered a torn disk in his back. His recovery will be about six to nine months, and even then he will never be 100 percent, all in the effort to get the aircraft out on time. Getting A/C out on time seems to be pre-wired into our heads once we become an SWA employee, even if it means that we cut corners—by lifting heavy freight, oversized bags, and any other job that we do by ourselves rather than wait for addition help. Brother and Sisters, please understand I am not saying that you should delay any flight; rather, I am saying protect yourself. Tell your supervisor you need help. Ask him/her to get in the bin with you. News from District 5 As of writing this article we have at least two stations (AUS and SAT) that will be working international flights. This will pose different and yet unique problems that I am sure we will handle. Since there will be many unforeseen issues with overseas flights, please feel free to call me about any questions. If I do not know, I will find out the answer. Brother and Sisters, depending on the timing of this article you should either be voting on your station representative position or just have elected your local representative. The job of a local representative is a critical and demanding job that has little benefit. Please remember the person you vote for should be your choice because off his or her devotion to the membership. The person who wins this position will be the one who does the majority of the investigations over violations to the CBA. He or she will also be the one who will represent you in any and all fact-finding meetings. Please take time and consider your candidate wisely. Good luck to all who are running, and may the most qualified member win In closing, I would like to extend my condolences to the family and friends of our lost brother Jared Dodson. This was a true tragedy. I hope and pray that the accident that took this man’s life be investigated and measures put in place to prevent this from happing again. The accident that took this man’s life is truly sad. We must all be cognizant of the dangers that we face each and every day.

robert.bettinger@twu555.org