AN ACR CREW PUSHED OUT OF A GATE AT PHL TO FIND THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE CALLED FOR PUSHBACK FROM GND CTL.

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ON PUSHBACK FROM GATE X; I CALLED COMPANY RAMP CTL FOR PUSH CLRNC PER NORMAL PROC. PUSH BACK AND INITIAL TAXI PROCEEDED NORMALLY. RECEIVED MESSAGE ON ACARS TO CALL COMPANY ON RADIO. THEY STATED THAT GND CTL HAD CALLED THEM SHORTLY AFTER OUR PUSHBACK AND COMPLAINED THAT WE HAD PUSHED WITHOUT CLRNC FROM GND CTL. THE CLAIM THAT; DEPENDING ON HOW THE GND CREW PUSHES YOU BACK; YOU MAY OR MAY NOT NEED TO CALL GND CTL FOR A PUSH CLRNC. I FEEL THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. OUR COMMERCIAL RTE MANUAL CONTAINS A PAGE FOR PHL; PAGE 10-T; WHICH OUTLINES PROCS PECULIAR TO PHL. IT LISTS GATES AT WHICH IT IN NECESSARY TO OBTAIN A PUSH CLRNC FROM GND CTL; BUT STATES THAT AT ALL OTHER GATES IT IS UNNECESSARY TO CALL GND; ONLY COMPANY RAMP CTL; FOR PUSH CLRNC. GATE X FALLS INTO THE LATTER CATEGORY; AND IN FACT IN OVER 5 YRS OF OPERATING FROM PHL; AND GATE X COUNTLESS TIMES; I'VE NEVER ENCOUNTERED ANY COMPLAINTS IN FOLLOWING THIS BOOK PROC. TO SUDDENLY INSTITUTE NEW REQUIREMENTS WITHOUT ANY NOTIFICATION TO CREWS EITHER VERBALLY OR; MORE PROPERLY; IN WRITING; IS POOR PROC. NEXT TIME; WE'LL CALL GND CTL FOR PUSH CLRNC FROM THIS GATE; BUT WOULD APPRECIATE BEING KEPT 'IN THE LOOP' IN ANY FUTURE SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES.