Thread: Party Time at the FAA; Critics Question $5 Million Gathering

I've never been to a govt conference for more than 5 days. They don't go to Las Vegas cause it would look bad; even though the hotel rates would probably be better than Atlanta.

2 things:

1. Is this conference mandatory?

2. If it is not mandatory, then why is there a conference?

Inquiring minds want to know!

ABC News highlighted the story tonight with great video (from a sensationalist point of view)...and many undercover candid shots of "managers" saying what they shouldn't. Brian Ross got the "COO" of the FAA, most senior present, on camera justifying a $5M pricetag and you could see he knew he was in trouble. Then they got the hotel to boot the video team. The damaging video is the dancing/partying, the "free" buffet (which was one night a week) and the unwitting things said on tape. After the last blowup in Las Vegas new advisories came out in other departments about meetings/conferences but then the attention died out. I personally think the partying scenes make the story, so if all fed-only conferences excluded that at the meeting facility, the rest would look unremarkable. I wonder if this will get the President judging the event in a news conference.

According to the report, the purpose was to advise 3600 employees of the new ATC contract that went into effect two months earlier. They cycled 1200 through per week for 3 weeks. The report had a brief glimpse of a room with the contract being briefed.

Originally Posted by Frixxxx

2 things:

1. Is this conference mandatory?

Yes- this is a gathering of MANAGERS AND SUPERVISORS from the Air Traffic side of the FAA. There are roughly 11,500 air traffic controllers, and 3,600 supervisors of those controllers. This gathering was the 3,600 supervisors of those controllers. The purpose of the event is that the Senior Management (Much of it remaining, by the way, from the LAST administration, not this one) wants to gather together all their "soldiers", called "Front Line Leaders" and give them their orders. Literally. It's teaching them how to be "tough-guy" leaders, giving orders on how they will destroy the employee's union. Destroy employee cohesion. Break employees down and make them submissive. They teach them this, and then they send them back to their home cities, pumped full of venom. Last time they did this, in 2006, they came back and promptly fired 7 controllers in New York, not because they did something wrong- but because they wanted to exercise power. It's all about the power for these guys.

2. If it is not mandatory, then why is there a conference?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Yes- it's mandatory for all supervisors in the Air Traffic Control branch of the FAA.

The other large branch of the FAA, "Aircraft Safety", has roughly 6,000 employees, and has almost 1,000 managers and supervisors in that 6,000 number. THEY do their Manager's Conference separately. The last time they did it, it was in Washington D.C. and lasted three days, just like this one lasted three days (monday and friday are the travel days). Same thing- the FAA calls all it's supervisors "Front Line Leaders", and sends them off to war against the employees.

That's part of why FAA ranks 214 out of 216 government agencies. At least that's my opinion. If they ever tried to work WITH employee representatives, instead of against them, it would probably be a better place.

The last time we had a "culture change" was in St. Louis 3 years ago. (AKA "Screw us in st louis")

"There are roughly 11,500 air traffic controllers, and 3,600 supervisors of those controllers "

The 3600 must include many levels above frontline. Or else FAA has a low ratio.

FAA has an incredibly low ratio of supervisors to employees.

Actually, if we consider the number of accidents we have in the US, I think the FAA and the NTSB do a pretty good job. Yes, maybe this was a boondoggle event. Then again, I'm sure that any get together of over a couple of thousand people we would witness a couple of bad events or rowdy members.

That happens.

I guess the hotel just wasn't quick enough with the police.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Conven...5668622&page=1

part 2 of the clip:

Which one of you is the whistle blower?

Seems to me the story becomes unappealing to an editor without the scenes of dancing. Scenes of people mingling or in a room aren't sensational. Eliminate the after meeting party at the hosting facility and a tip on waste would not get the story on the evening news....and hurt the federal employee image more. Loss of pay raise parity was just a first step.

Seniors having control of future events may have learned about not hosting it in Las Vegas, but the lesson should be how will it look on camera.