Free Maintenance for American Airlines!
by Glenn Jones DWH TWU Local 565 Section Chairman
The saying goes, that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Production companies can onFree Maintenance for American Airlines! The saying goes, that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Production companies can only produce as much as its slowest subassembly line (weak link). A faulty joist can cause a house to fall. And for the union, the weakest link seems to be the strongest quality of the individual AMT- his sense of can do.
This sense of can do that is found in all of us American Airlines AMT’s is the weak link in our negotiations with the company; and management knows and exploits this to the fullest.
When was the last time, during a PS inspection you tightened a bolt and nut, changed a light bulb or installed a missing screw into a panel, without making a write-up because you knew by writing it up, it would take 3 times as long, than just doing the minor corrective action alone. How many times have you found yourself balancing precariously on a ladder, reaching for that last bolt or screw to tighten, instead of getting down and moving the ladder? How many times have you forgone the computer before doing a job because you have done the same job numerous times before?
These are just some of the actions a “Can Do” AMT performs without hesitation or thought. It is in his DNA. He knows it is the right thing to do; safety of the aircraft is always on her/his mind. And for that I do stand up and salute my fellow AMT’s. GREAT JOB TO ALL OF YOU! But beware.
These same undocumented minor fixes not only go against federal regulations (beware you can be fined), these undocumented minor fixes provide the company FREE maintenance. That’s right FREE! Undocumented work is just that, undocumented and know one will know except you. Talk is cheap, put it in writing!
With more and more rules and regulations being handed down and constantly changed, the lonely AMT almost needs his own secretary to know what is going on. Eye protection, fall protection, chemical cleaners not to use, new and improved procedures, AD’s, part numbers, torque values, pulling up the proper paperwork for the job, gathering the proper equipment, performing the maintenance task, cleaning of your area, hazardous waste disposal, SIDA Badge regulations, local company rules; the list goes on and on and on. With all this and more to know and abide by, it leaves the lonely AMT with less and less time to do maintenance in an 8 hour shift. And this is where the short cuts start to happen, the giving away of maintenance; undocumented work.
Whether management sees or knows all of what is going on, I’m am not going to argue that because they know. But what I will argue is for my fellow AMT‘s to stop giving away free maintenance. Document what you have done. By documenting you are telling your supervisor and upper management what you as an AMT are doing on a daily/weekly bases. By documenting your work, you are justifying your time as to why the same task can take longer than normal sometimes. By documenting your work, you are justifying your right and need for fair negotiations with the company.
Write these small discrepancies up .Get the proper paper work from the computers. Revue safety procedures so you are not put into bad positions because you do not know. These small tasks we do now makes us all strong later on.
Remember, you are responsible for being in the know. And you are getting paid for what you know, not just what you do. Take the proper time and do it by the Book!
Glendon Jones Hangar 5 Section Chairman
