Peggy Sterling
VP-Safety, Security, Environmental
American Airlines
Dear Ms Sterling,
Please explain to me how safety violations routinely occur @ AA, despite
warnings from OSHA??? It's not Earth-shattering news that AA doesn't
respect human life, but the company is incurring a $231,000 fine &
receiving negative publicity in the process.
AA divvies out exec bonuses w/ the precision of a blackjack dealer, but
when it comes to safeguarding its workers AA locks up the checkbook.
Somehow we got our priorities mixed up. Employees are forced to become
Indiana Jones in the Airport of Doom, while valuable assets are diverted
to caress execs.
We've seen time & again, mismanagement adversely affect the bottom line
without any ramifications. Execs invest pension funds into speculative
dot com stocks. Then watch the pension plan plummet & there's no
accountability. AA sells its precious fuel hedges to arch rival
Southwest & there's no accountability. AA is losing 6,000 bags a month @
JFK due to mismanagement & there's no accountability. What are we . . .
a convenient tax write-off for millionaires???
Now we have an impending fine from OSHA. I've seen 1st hand how
management ignores safety & health concerns @ my own station, JFK. It
wasn't until OSHA was notified that AA finally acted on the pigeon
droppings infesting the hangar floor, which wasn't as important as
rewarding execs for losing $800 million in 2005. We also had helicopters
asphyxiating employees, rodent urine odors in the workplace, & a
thunderstorm warning system that doesn't work to name a few.
Any employee reckless enough to cause the loss of $231,000 would be
punished severely. Execs, on the other hand, are the anointed ones &
immune from such discipline. Well, this is 1 shareholder that holds exec
performance directly accountable. Ms Sterling, since you're the VP of
safety, I'm asking for your immediate resignation.
With regret,
X. XXXXXX
mechanic & burdening the sacrifice @ JFK
**************************
July 26, 2007 - American Airlines' Chicago operations have been cited for
> several safety violations. The federal Occupational Safety and Health
> Administration, or OSHA, says ground workers in several areas face danger.
> The government says the airline has known about the problems for a long time
> and needs to do something about them.
>
> American Airlines needs to value its employees' safety as much its
> customers, according to OSHA.
>
> "If I was a business person and I had a business and someone told me you are
> coming, I think I would have done a lot more. I was shocked," said Diane
> Turek, OSHA.
>
> Turek says because of American's high injury and illness rates it has been
> on notice since 2004 that it would be the subject of a comprehensive health
> and safety review.
>
> OSHA cites American for 24 failures it cataloged from January 29 to March 23
> of this year, with particular concern for workers falling due to lack of
> protection while adjusting cables atop passenger jetways or atop de-icing
> vehicle booms doing maintenance. OSHA termed these "willful" -- meaning
> American knew of the problems but didn't do anything -- and the airline
> faces $231,000 in fines. It has 15 days to respond to the findings or
> provide evidence that they are doing something to reduce dangers.
>
> "I am surprised that the airlines, with their resources available to them,
> and their knowledge, that we have found these findings," Turek said.
>
> Other findings: that workers up on catwalks in hangars faced falling hazards
> as much as 80 feet due to lack of guardrails; that catwalks and jet bridges
> did not display maximum load warnings; that people involved in refueling
> were unprotected from falling off wings; and that procedures to avoid
> unintentional ignition of equipment were not followed. OSHA characterized
> some of these as "repeat" problems, as American received identical citations
> at other US airports within the last three years.
>
> The airline declined an on-camera interview but said in a statement from its
> corporate headquarters in Dallas that "American takes issue with some of
> OSHA's findings, particularly the classification of one citation as
> willful...We anticipate having discussions with OSHA concerning these and
> other related issues."
>
> The OSHA director also said that next month she expects American to be cited
> for several health-related situations it found in its review. She promised
> they will be significant and likely related to workplace exposure to
> hazardous substances.
VP-Safety, Security, Environmental
American Airlines
Dear Ms Sterling,
Please explain to me how safety violations routinely occur @ AA, despite
warnings from OSHA??? It's not Earth-shattering news that AA doesn't
respect human life, but the company is incurring a $231,000 fine &
receiving negative publicity in the process.
AA divvies out exec bonuses w/ the precision of a blackjack dealer, but
when it comes to safeguarding its workers AA locks up the checkbook.
Somehow we got our priorities mixed up. Employees are forced to become
Indiana Jones in the Airport of Doom, while valuable assets are diverted
to caress execs.
We've seen time & again, mismanagement adversely affect the bottom line
without any ramifications. Execs invest pension funds into speculative
dot com stocks. Then watch the pension plan plummet & there's no
accountability. AA sells its precious fuel hedges to arch rival
Southwest & there's no accountability. AA is losing 6,000 bags a month @
JFK due to mismanagement & there's no accountability. What are we . . .
a convenient tax write-off for millionaires???
Now we have an impending fine from OSHA. I've seen 1st hand how
management ignores safety & health concerns @ my own station, JFK. It
wasn't until OSHA was notified that AA finally acted on the pigeon
droppings infesting the hangar floor, which wasn't as important as
rewarding execs for losing $800 million in 2005. We also had helicopters
asphyxiating employees, rodent urine odors in the workplace, & a
thunderstorm warning system that doesn't work to name a few.
Any employee reckless enough to cause the loss of $231,000 would be
punished severely. Execs, on the other hand, are the anointed ones &
immune from such discipline. Well, this is 1 shareholder that holds exec
performance directly accountable. Ms Sterling, since you're the VP of
safety, I'm asking for your immediate resignation.
With regret,
X. XXXXXX
mechanic & burdening the sacrifice @ JFK
**************************
July 26, 2007 - American Airlines' Chicago operations have been cited for
> several safety violations. The federal Occupational Safety and Health
> Administration, or OSHA, says ground workers in several areas face danger.
> The government says the airline has known about the problems for a long time
> and needs to do something about them.
>
> American Airlines needs to value its employees' safety as much its
> customers, according to OSHA.
>
> "If I was a business person and I had a business and someone told me you are
> coming, I think I would have done a lot more. I was shocked," said Diane
> Turek, OSHA.
>
> Turek says because of American's high injury and illness rates it has been
> on notice since 2004 that it would be the subject of a comprehensive health
> and safety review.
>
> OSHA cites American for 24 failures it cataloged from January 29 to March 23
> of this year, with particular concern for workers falling due to lack of
> protection while adjusting cables atop passenger jetways or atop de-icing
> vehicle booms doing maintenance. OSHA termed these "willful" -- meaning
> American knew of the problems but didn't do anything -- and the airline
> faces $231,000 in fines. It has 15 days to respond to the findings or
> provide evidence that they are doing something to reduce dangers.
>
> "I am surprised that the airlines, with their resources available to them,
> and their knowledge, that we have found these findings," Turek said.
>
> Other findings: that workers up on catwalks in hangars faced falling hazards
> as much as 80 feet due to lack of guardrails; that catwalks and jet bridges
> did not display maximum load warnings; that people involved in refueling
> were unprotected from falling off wings; and that procedures to avoid
> unintentional ignition of equipment were not followed. OSHA characterized
> some of these as "repeat" problems, as American received identical citations
> at other US airports within the last three years.
>
> The airline declined an on-camera interview but said in a statement from its
> corporate headquarters in Dallas that "American takes issue with some of
> OSHA's findings, particularly the classification of one citation as
> willful...We anticipate having discussions with OSHA concerning these and
> other related issues."
>
> The OSHA director also said that next month she expects American to be cited
> for several health-related situations it found in its review. She promised
> they will be significant and likely related to workplace exposure to
> hazardous substances.
