3pointlanding

I forgot. I do work for FedEx

Unknown Rider

So here's another question. How is it that you quote from the FedEx FOM and SMS manual if you are not a FedEx employee?

3pointlanding

Did you know that the company sends the manuals to and IOSA AO and the CMO has copies of all the manuals approved and accepted?

MaydayMark

I'm not sure you answered the question? Please post link where these manuals are available?

Unknown Rider

Answer a question with a question- yep, I know that tactic. How about you answer a question with a straight answer, else we'll know you for the imposter you are.

MeXC

Edited for content

DLax85

Tony - Well Done

On the other hand, the veracity and credibility of other main participant in this thread is shot

Let's all move on to other, more useful, topics

Nitefrater

The point that seems to escape you is that while many of your points are likely true, they are also completely and utterly irrelevant to the majority of posters here.

IOSA is a program of IATA, which is itself a "Trade Association" of airline management. FedEx has joined the IATA frat. I haven't. Neither have you. As an airline management trade association, IATA has certain goals and agendas. IATA is not a friend of labor. Their goals and agendas are frequently at odds with those of the people their member airlines employ. (e.g. see IATA's "liberalization" policy). IATA's policies are in no way, shape or form, regulatory. They do, however, lobby for regulations in line with their goals and agenda.

The pilots employed by FedEx also have a "trade association" (ALPA), who also doesn't have regulatory authority. They also lobby for regulations in line with their goals and agendas.

In this regard, IATA and ALPA are at the same level of the regulatory arena (tho the playing field can by no means be construed as being "level").

To rehash some background: One of the pillars of an effective SMS, ASAP, was held up by FedEx management for over a year over the issue of whether ASAP reports could be used for discipline. The FAA doesn’t think this is a good idea, ALPA doesn’t think this is a good idea, IATA doesn’t think this is a good idea. AFAIK, FedEx management is the ONLY entity involved with ASAP who thinks this is a good idea. FedEx management apparently is of the opinion that ANY information that is known, by whatever means, can and should be grist for the discipline mill. Despite eventually coming to an agreement on the use of ASAP data, we have multiple anecdotal reports of ASAP data being used by FedEx management in manners proscribed by the agreement.

Now, FedEx decides to buy in to one of IATAs frat rules (a “QA” subset of SMS), but they chose to do so without seeking the buy-in of their pilot group, despite the general consensus, even within IATA, that such a buy-in is essential to the best effectiveness of a QA program. FedEx previously tried a QA program (LOSA), but it was administered by an outside vendor, and apparently didn’t give FedEx what they really wanted in a QA program. What might this be, you ask? (discipline?)

FedEx builds their own QA program, one that uses Check Airmen as the observers. Check Airmen who were interviewed by and selected by management, and who draw an additional stipend from management for performing CA duties. Who can be fired by management at management’s whim. To supplement this observer corps, they interview and select a cadre of First Officers, advertising the position as a management apprenticeship. For this apprenticeship they are also paid, by management, an additional payment rumored to be in the neighborhood of the value of 30 pieces of silver. They tell the crew force that the observers are NOT there to observe the crew (but they HAVE to be in the cockpit). They will write reports that the crew will not see, (indeed, the crew doesn’t even see the questions the observers are answering). The crew is told that the reports will be deidentified, by unidentified personnel who are selected and paid by management, And that the reports will never be used for any form of discipline. Does anyone in the crew force believe this? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? And then they insult our concerns with a tone-deaf joke about “black helicopters.”

The bottom line is that the majority of the crew force at FedEx doesn’t give a rat’s a$$ about an IATA program, that in the FedEx iteration, seems to serve management’s goals at our expense. Perhaps, in some future unicorn and rainbow universe, if FedEx management started giving a rat’s a$$ about the goals and agendas of MY “trade association”, I’d start caring about (some of) the goals and agendas of their “trade association”

HKFlyr

And nope, they don't have to ride in the cockpit...and until there is a MOU on this program, like LOSA, they can enjoy their international catering in the back....

HKFlyr

nice post NF and Tony, by the way...

And I agree, time to move on, remember, never argue with an idiot...or wrestle a pig...