ZFW CTLR VOICED CONCERN REGARDING MGMNT'S SECTOR REDUCTION PLAN; CITING STAFFING; TRAINING AND OTHER FACTORS AS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED.

Narrative

IN MID-2007; ZFW MGMNT EMBARKED ON A PLAN TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF SPECIALTIES AT ZFW FROM 'SEVEN TO SIX' BY MOVING SECTORS AND CTLRS TO OTHER EXISTING SPECIALTIES. TRAINING OF THE 'MOVING SPECIALTY' CTLRS BEGAN APPROX SEP/07. IN DEC/07; ZFW MGMNT CAME TO THE REALIZATION THAT THEY HAD NOT BEGUN TRAINING THE 'GAINING SPECIALTY' CTLRS AND STARTED A CONCERTED EFFORT TO ACCOMPLISH THAT TRAINING BY AN AUTOMATION CUTOVER DATE OF JAN/08. EVERY EFFORT WAS MADE; INCLUDING OBTAINING 'WAIVERS' TO THE FACILITY TRAINING ORDER; HOWEVER; DUE TO STAFFING LIMITATIONS ACROSS THE FACILITY; LITTLE OR NO PROGRESS WAS MADE. IN JAN/08; ZFW MGMNT EXECUTED THE PHYSICAL RELOCATION OF SECTORS AND CTLRS. THEY BEGAN WHAT HAS AMOUNTED TO A MAD SCRAMBLE TO COVER STAFFING SHORTS IN MOST AREAS -- A VIRTUAL GRAB-BAG OF STAFFING WHICH NECESSITATED ASSIGNING 1 SUPVR TO ATTEMPT TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACT. AS OF MAR/XA/08; ONLY INCREMENTAL PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE TO GET CTLRS CROSS TRAINED. FOR EXAMPLE; IN THE BONHAM SPECIALTY; THERE ARE APPROX 53 CTLRS. OF THOSE; 42 HAVE NOT BEGUN TRAINING ON THE NEW SECTORS (WHETHER THEY WERE 'MOVING' OR 'GAINING' CTLRS); WITH 6 FULLY CERTIFIED ON ALL SECTORS AND 5 PARTIALLY CERTIFIED. THIS IS A NET GAIN OF 6 CTLRS CERTIFIED IN 2 MONTHS. THESE NUMBERS DO NOT INCLUDE 3 CTLRS FROM OTHER AREAS ASSIGNED TO BONHAM INDEFINITELY; NUMEROUS CTLRS FROM THE POSSUM AREA ROUTINELY ASSIGNED TO WORK SECTORS IN BONHAM; AND CTLRS BEING ASSIGNED DOUBLE-MID WORK SCHEDULES TO COVER LACK OF STAFFING. NOW; MGMNT IS MOVING FORWARD WITH THE NEXT STEP OF THE PLAN -- SELF-SUFFICIENT MID SHIFTS. IN THEORY; THIS IS A PLAN WHEREBY STAFFING ON THE MID SHIFTS IS REDUCED TO THE MGMNT IMPOSED LEVEL OF 3 CTLRS; WITH THOSE CTLRS; THROUGH A MIX AND MATCH OF CERTIFICATIONS; WILL BE REQUIRED TO STAFF THE MID SHIFT IN THE AREA. AGAIN; 1 SUPVR IS RUNNING BTWN AREAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE THIS WORK. SOME SHIFTS HAVE 3; SOME 4; SOME 5 -- JUST TO MAKE IT WORK. FURTHER; NOT ONE BRIEFING HAS BEEN HELD TO TELL CTLRS WHAT THE PLAN IS; HOW IT WILL WORK; WHAT CONTINGENCIES ARE OUT THERE; NOTHING. A NOTE IS MADE ON THE SCHEDULES AND CTLRS ARE LEFT TO CIPHER ON THEIR OWN AND; AGAIN; 'JUST MAKE IT WORK.' BONHAM CTLRS HAVE ALREADY DISCOVERED A COMPLEXITY WITH SECTOR CONFIGN: MGMNT IS GOING TO REQUIRE DECOD SEAVR TXK-LO AND MLU TO BE WORKED AT 1 POS. WITHOUT GOING INTO GREAT DETAIL; THIS IS AN ENORMOUS AND COMPLEX PIECE OF AIRSPACE IN THE CONFIGN. BUT THAT CONCERN HAS BEEN IGNORED AND CTLRS WILL AGAIN BE TASKED WITH 'JUST MAKE IT WORK.' TO SUMMARIZE TO DATE: ZFW MGMNT HAS SPENT NEARLY 7 MONTHS TRAINING FOR THE SEVEN-TO-SIX PLAN; SPENT COUNTLESS HRS ON OJT; COUNTLESS HRS ON OVERTIME; COUNTLESS SUPVR HRS TRYING TO HASH OUT STAFFING SHORTAGES; AND COUNTLESS HRS DOING LOTS OF STUFF EXCEPT DEVELOPING A PLAN AND ENSURING IT IS EXECUTED PROPERLY BEFORE MAKING CHANGES OF THIS MAGNITUDE. I COMPARE THIS WITH AN EVENT OF 10 YRS AGO WHEN ZFW WENT FROM SIX-TO-SEVEN AREA. IT WAS A WELL COORD EVENT; LOTS OF PLANNING; LOTS OF PREPARATION; LOTS OF MAKING SURE EVERYTHING WAS DONE BEFORE MAKING PHYSICAL CHANGES. AND IT WENT VERY SUCCESSFULLY. QUITE THE DIFFERENCE TODAY. I FULLY EXPECT WE WILL BE TRAINING WELL INTO THE LATTER PARTS OF 2008; WHILE DEALING WITH REDUCED NUMBER OF CTLRS (DUE TO RETIREMENTS; PROMOTIONS; MOVES; RESIGNATIONS; REASSIGNMENTS; MEDICAL DISQUALIFICATIONS; ETC). WE ARE ALREADY DOWN 4 SINCE JANUARY; WITH ANOTHER 4 ON THE NEAR HORIZON. BOTTOM LINE: THE LACK OF A PLAN HAS CREATED A MONSTER. YET MGMNT REFUSES TO PAUSE AND FIX THE PROBS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS PLAN AND BLINDLY MOVES FORWARD CONVINCED THEY ARE DOING THE RIGHT THING. WE HAVE BEGUN LEARNING ABOUT THE NEW FAA 'SAFETY CULTURE.' I CAN ONLY SUMMARIZE THAT THE GOINGS ON AT ZFW IS A PRIME EXAMPLE OF NON-SAFETY IN ACTION.