A B737-300 FOUND THE ORD PUSH CREW WAS USING NON-STANDARD PROCS AND WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH SOPS.

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THE PUSH CREW ADVISED ME THAT THE CORD TO THE HEADSET DID NOT WORK AND TO RELEASE BRAKES AND HE WOULD GET BACK IN THE TUG AND PUSH. I TOLD HIM I WOULD NOT RELEASE THE BRAKES WITHOUT A PERSON IN THE TUG; WE WOULD HAVE TO USE HAND SIGNALS. I WAS TOLD THAT THE WALKER DID NOT KNOW HAND SIGNALS; SO I SAID HE WOULD HAVE TO FIND ONE THAT DID. HE THEN TOLD ME THAT THEY DID KNOW SIGNALS AND WE WOULD PROCEED THAT WAY. FIRST THE WALKER GAVE THE SIGNAL TO THE FO. WHEN I DID RECEIVE THE RELEASE BRAKES SIGNAL I ASKED THE FO TO PUSH CLRNC. THE WALKER REPEATED THE SIGNAL SEVERAL TIMES I GUESS BECAUSE I HAD NOT RETURNED THE SIGNAL NOT HAVING RECEIVED PUSH CLRNC. WE RECEIVED OUR CLRNC AND I GAVE THE BRAKES RELEASE SIGNAL. I THEN WAS GIVEN SEVERAL NON STANDARD SIGNALS FROM THE WALKER INCLUDING A THUMBS UP...RECEIPT COMPLETE? I GAVE THE SIGNAL BACK THAT THE BRAKES WERE SET FLASHED THE TAXI LIGHT 3 TIMES AND HIT THE GND CALL TO GET THE ATTN OF THE TUG DRIVER WHICH HE MUST HAVE TAKEN AS CLRED TO PUSH AS HE ATTEMPTED TO PUSH THE PLANE WITH THE BRAKES SET. WE CALLED FOR A SUPVR AND THE RAMP LEAD ARRIVED SHORTLY AFTER. I TOLD HIM WHAT HAPPENED AND HE SAID HE WOULD CONTINUE WITH HAND SIGNALS AFTER HIS BRAKE RELEASE AND MY RETURN AFTER PUSH CLRNC. I AGAIN RECEIVED SEVERAL NON STANDARD SIGNALS. AGAIN I ASSUME HE WAS ASKING IF WE WERE CLR TO PUSH. I HAVE HAD NUMEROUS RECEIPT AND DISPATCH ISSUES AND THEY SEEM TO BE GETTING MORE FREQUENT. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT CARRIER IS TEACHING THE BASICS ON PUSHING A PLANE AND RELEASING PEOPLE TO THE RAMP. ANY THAN NORMAL SOP'S PEOPLE ON THE RAMP DO NOT KNOW. I HAVE YET TO FLASH THE TAXI LIGHT 3 TIMES AND HAVE HAD A RAMPER HOOK UP AND THIS HAND SIGNAL ISSUE WAS JUST DANGEROUS. MAYBE IF CARRIER DOES NOT WANT TO TRAIN AND MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE CURRENT AND RETAIN THE KNOWLEDGE WE SHOULD JUST ELIMINATE ALL ADDITIONAL PROC PUSHBACKS?