ZAU CTLR DESCRIBED SITUATION WHERE DURING BUSY TFC THE OPS MGR OVERRODE FPL AND SUPVR INPUT AND REDUCED MI IN TRAIL SEPARATION FROM C90.

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I WAS WORKING THE EON AND BOONE SECTORS COMBINED. WE HAD ONLY 7 PEOPLE ON THE SHIFT THAT WE WOULD NORMALLY HAVE 9-10. WE HAD 6 OF THE 7 PEOPLE ON THE FLOOR WORKING. NORMALLY WE WOULD SPLIT THE EON AND BOONE SECTORS AS NEEDED BUT IF WE DID WE WOULD HAVE NO CTLRS AVAILABLE FOR HELP. THE AREA SUPVR MR X HAD PUT A 15 MI IN TRAIL RESTR ON ORD APCH SBOUND TO KEEP THE SECTOR MANAGEABLE. UNFORTUNATELY; ORD APCH WAS NOT GIVING ME THE 15 MI IN TRAIL AND SENT OUT A STRING OF 4 WITH 6-7 MI BTWN THEM. WE COMPLAINED AND WERE TOLD THERE WAS A 'MISUNDERSTANDING.' SHORTLY THEREAFTER; THE OPS MGR MR Y CAME DOWN AND ASKED IF WE COULD DROP TO 10 MI IN TRAIL. I TOLD HIM NO; MY D-SIDE MR W TOLD HIM NO; AND MR X TOLD HIM NO. THEY WEREN'T GIVING US THE 15 MI IN TRAIL WE ASKED FOR AND THE SECTOR WAS BUSY. MR Y WATCHED THE SECTOR FOR A COUPLE OF MINS THEN LEFT. HE THEN TOLD MR X THAT HE HAD TAKEN OUT THE 15 MI IN TRAIL AND GONE TO 10 MI IN TRAIL. MR Y IS NOT CERTIFIED AT ANY S AREA SECTORS. WE WERE ALL UPSET THAT MR Y COMPLETELY DISREGARDED OUR REQUEST. I WAS FURIOUS THAT MR Y TRIED TO BURY ME WITH MORE ACFT THAN I COULD HANDLE. WHY IS AN OPS MGR OVERRIDING 2 FPL'S AND THE AREA SUPVR? WHO WOULD HAVE BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR A SEPARATION ERROR? THIS INTENTIONAL OVERBURDENING OF CTLRS IS INCREDIBLY UNSAFE -- A MIDAIR WAITING TO HAPPEN!