POOR COM BTWN CABIN AND COCKPIT CAUSES A BREAKDOWN IN COORD AND TEAMWORK NECESSARY TO RESOLVE A CABIN DISRUPTION.

Narrative

DUE TO A VERBAL ALTERCATION WITH A COACH PAX; ONE OF MY AFT FLT ATTENDANTS CALLED THE CAPT AND ASKED THAT THE SEATBELT SIGN BE TURNED ON. THE CAPT REFUSED; AND THEN CALLED ME AT 1L TO GET DETAILS; WHICH I GAVE; SAYING WE WANTED THE SIGN ON TO DIFFUSE A SITUATION IN THE AFT GALLEY BTWN A PAX AND FLT ATTENDANT. CAPT SAID HE DIDN'T WANT TO USE THE SEATBELT SIGN FOR 'CROWD CTL.' I RELAYED THIS INFO TO MY FLYING PARTNERS IN THE FORWARD GALLEY. FLT ATTENDANT X; WHO HAD BEEN WORKING IN COACH; HEARD THE EXCHANGE AND GRABBED THE INTERPHONE AT THE JUMPSEAT BY THE FORWARD CROSS AISLE; CALLED THE COCKPIT AND SAID 'THIS IS FLT ATTENDANT X; PUT THE SEATBELT SIGN ON NOW!' THE FO TOOK THE CALL AND SEATBELT SIGN WENT ON IMMEDIATELY; AND THE PAX SAT DOWN SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THE CAPT THEN CALLED ME AT 1L AND WANTED CLARIFICATION. I APOLOGIZED FOR FLT ATTENDANT X'S TONE OF VOICE; ETC; AND WENT UP TO THE COCKPIT TO EXPLAIN THE SITUATION SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THERE WAS A BREAKDOWN IN CRM WITH THE CAPT REFUSING TO PUT ON THE SEATBELT SIGN WHEN ASKED BY THE COACH FLT ATTENDANT AND THEN BY ME; AS WELL AS WHEN FLT ATTENDANT X TOOK MATTERS INTO HER OWN HANDS; CALLING AND ALARMING THE PLTS; BYPASSING CHAIN OF COMMAND. THIS COULD HAVE BROKEN DOWN COMS FURTHER BECAUSE IT SOUNDED LIKE I PUT HER UP TO CALLING WHEN I DIDN'T LIKE HIS REASONING. THE NEXT DAY; WHEN I HAD CALMED DOWN ENOUGH TO TALK TO HER; I EXPLAINED THAT HER ACTIONS HAD PUT US ALL AT JEOPARDY; UNDERMINED MY ROLE AS PURSER; ANTAGONIZED THE CAPT AND FO; AND BY GIVING HER NAME IN SUCH AN ABRUPT MANNER; ALERTED THE COCKPIT THAT SOMETHING DIRE WAS TAKING PLACE; WHEN ALL WE WANTED TO DO WAS TO DE-ESCALATE A MINOR SITUATION IN THE COACH CABIN. I ALSO HAD TO SPEAK TO HER ABOUT USING LOUD; FOUL LANGUAGE WHEN SHE WAS SETTING UP THE FIRST CLASS GALLEY WHILE PAX WERE BOARDING. WE DISCUSSED HER CHALLENGE WITH SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND REPERCUSSIONS.