I also see some craftiness going on. Sure incompetence does exist. But, I really have gotten into some deep conversations with scheduling before when arguing my position for why a trip trade should be allowed, or why I should be within the rules as I interpret them to be able to do this or that....etc. What I have encountered is some very well educated schedulers who usually take a position, put me on hold and then quote the contract. I look it up, and by-gollie sometimes I think they are right.

I may read it one way, they read it another, but they seem to be going out of their way to be knowledgeable and then use a degree of trickerey and some witchcraft and slight of hand to be able to get you to do something their way. This goes beyond incompetence, now they are using some serious brain power.

The whole "positive contact" I keep hearing about. Let me debunk that one. A scheduler called me one evening and I knew about the 10 AM rule coming off days off for scheduling purposes on long call. I answered the phone because I knew the rule and I wasn't worried about it. This clown asked me if I wold help them out with an early morning departure. I declined. He tried to use the whole positive contact thing, and then I told him, once I hang up on you, there is no more positive contact, negative contact, or any kind of contact.. ...Furthermore, if you want to use mis-use the contract by calling me when you shouldn't to get me to do something that I don't have to do then shame on you....I won't do it out of principle. Never heard a word about it.

I have heard of them leaving pilots messages. Pilot returns the call for one purpose then and scheduler tried to get the pilot to do something else based on a new set of circumstances. Same concept, and I call BS on it. scheduler can pound sand.

There is allot of incompetence. But, more often than not, schedulers are craftey and trickey.