"The flight was delayed 30 minutes".
Thats the only part the carrier really cares about, "Ok get that body out of the way and lets get this plane out", finding another minimum wage worker won't be a problem in DTW.
There is a concept in investing called "Risk" and generally the higher the risk the higher the reward, these workers are exposed to the ultimate risk day in and day out, yet the people who are exposed to very little risk as they sit in their safe offices have deliberately worked to slash their wages and put the money these workers should earn into their own pockets. Wage is a factor in this, low wages result in high turnover and high turnover means that the experience is low and more than likely the training is superficial at best. There is no way to make the ramp a truly "safe" place when you have very heavy objects moving around people. But lowering the standards by having low wages which in turn leads to high turnover of workers significantly increases the dangers.
To my fellow mechanics (and pilots)who often bash Fleet service clerks, you want a highly paid, well trained, experienced and stable FSC group out there on the Ramp because every time you walk around a plane your life is in their hands.
"Day one of ramp training" was probably the only day of ramp training, if that, at that place.
