Narrative:

I will begin by stating that although this report may sound like a complaint from a disgruntled worker, it is not. It is a report of serious safety concerns that are related to the behavior of the air traffic manager at XXX ATCT. I have gone to the management of the contracting company about many abuses that have taken place here but the abuse continues. On 3 occasions the manager has verbally abused and berated me by using foul and obscene language, and screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs. On 2 of these occasions, I was working an active ATC position. One other time he called me to his office and berated me behind closed doors. During this last session and one other time in the tower, he actually told me that he was trying to provoke me and invited me to take a swing at him. He got up out of his chair as if to attack me. I would have felt justified in calling the police and filing charges of assault against him. These types of abuses started about a yr ago when he arrived at the facility. I have heard many of the same complaints from workers at his previous facilities. These abuses continue to surface, more frequently lately, but sporadically and with no provocation or warning. I feel that I am being discriminated against but I don't know why, and I am not a minority. More recently I was accused of insubordination when I objected to signing a document that contained inaccurate information. The manager continued on a course of harassment toward me which led to humiliating me in front of other controllers. I had to ask him to please leave me alone, that I felt like I was being harassed and I was becoming upset. He then tried to remove me from the position I was working, local and ground combined, stating that I appeared to be under duress. The controller in charge opted to keep me on the position after asking me if I was ok. I told him that I was fine. I have spoken to company representatives about this abuse but I was told that I was the one with the problem. He told me that he should put me on probation and then fire me anyway. I haverecently called the company 'ombudsman' about the problems. He actually suggested that I invite the manager out for a beer to smooth things over. I truly feel that this is and has been a serious safety issue for quite some time. This manager flies off the handle without warning, kicking trash cans and throwing things in the tower. This has had a terrible effect on concentration in the tower, and in my particular case I feel that my personal safety is at risk. I have observed the manager commit several operrors and deviations, many of which I have notes on, but I am afraid if I report them I will be fired. On one occasion, an aircraft hit a deer in daylight conditions. The manager was not scanning the runway, and he habitually forgets about conflicting traffic resulting in numerous close calls. The manager has recently been diagnosed with diabetes. He is taking medicine for the condition, and is down at this time. However, I suspect that he is manipulating the flight surgeon's department in an attempt to avoid being permanently disqualified from performing ATC duties. I have heard of him distorting the truth about his condition to the flight surgeon on the phone. I think that his medical condition is worse than he lets on to be, and he is close personal friends with the local AME. I feel that his medical condition could be a large cause of his anger and mood swings. As I said, this is not a case of disgruntlement or personality conflicts, these sits that he creates are unsafe for the controllers which can only result in hazardous sits to air traffic. I am making this report because I have no other recourse. I've gone to the union but have only received a simple apology for the abuse that has been inflicted on me, which does nothing to address the serious safety hazards that I have seen occur. This is a report of a human hazard to aviation safety. I am not an FAA worker, therefore my anonymity is of the utmost importance. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states that facility manager is still at facility. However, relationship appears to be slightly better than before. Reporter had previously contacted FAA hotline and left home phone number, but did not receive a return call. Reporter also wants to maintain low profile and not make any waves. Has requested that ASRS not take any action to escalate the alleged problem.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CTLR AT CONTRACT TWR COMPLAINS ABOUT ABUSES, DISTRS, AND IMPACT TO SAFETY CAUSED BY FACILITY MGR WHEN DEALING WITH WORK FORCE.

Narrative: I WILL BEGIN BY STATING THAT ALTHOUGH THIS RPT MAY SOUND LIKE A COMPLAINT FROM A DISGRUNTLED WORKER, IT IS NOT. IT IS A RPT OF SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERNS THAT ARE RELATED TO THE BEHAVIOR OF THE AIR TFC MGR AT XXX ATCT. I HAVE GONE TO THE MGMNT OF THE CONTRACTING COMPANY ABOUT MANY ABUSES THAT HAVE TAKEN PLACE HERE BUT THE ABUSE CONTINUES. ON 3 OCCASIONS THE MGR HAS VERBALLY ABUSED AND BERATED ME BY USING FOUL AND OBSCENE LANGUAGE, AND SCREAMING OBSCENITIES AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS. ON 2 OF THESE OCCASIONS, I WAS WORKING AN ACTIVE ATC POS. ONE OTHER TIME HE CALLED ME TO HIS OFFICE AND BERATED ME BEHIND CLOSED DOORS. DURING THIS LAST SESSION AND ONE OTHER TIME IN THE TWR, HE ACTUALLY TOLD ME THAT HE WAS TRYING TO PROVOKE ME AND INVITED ME TO TAKE A SWING AT HIM. HE GOT UP OUT OF HIS CHAIR AS IF TO ATTACK ME. I WOULD HAVE FELT JUSTIFIED IN CALLING THE POLICE AND FILING CHARGES OF ASSAULT AGAINST HIM. THESE TYPES OF ABUSES STARTED ABOUT A YR AGO WHEN HE ARRIVED AT THE FACILITY. I HAVE HEARD MANY OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS FROM WORKERS AT HIS PREVIOUS FACILITIES. THESE ABUSES CONTINUE TO SURFACE, MORE FREQUENTLY LATELY, BUT SPORADICALLY AND WITH NO PROVOCATION OR WARNING. I FEEL THAT I AM BEING DISCRIMINATED AGAINST BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY, AND I AM NOT A MINORITY. MORE RECENTLY I WAS ACCUSED OF INSUBORDINATION WHEN I OBJECTED TO SIGNING A DOCUMENT THAT CONTAINED INACCURATE INFO. THE MGR CONTINUED ON A COURSE OF HARASSMENT TOWARD ME WHICH LED TO HUMILIATING ME IN FRONT OF OTHER CTLRS. I HAD TO ASK HIM TO PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE, THAT I FELT LIKE I WAS BEING HARASSED AND I WAS BECOMING UPSET. HE THEN TRIED TO REMOVE ME FROM THE POS I WAS WORKING, LCL AND GND COMBINED, STATING THAT I APPEARED TO BE UNDER DURESS. THE CIC OPTED TO KEEP ME ON THE POS AFTER ASKING ME IF I WAS OK. I TOLD HIM THAT I WAS FINE. I HAVE SPOKEN TO COMPANY REPRESENTATIVES ABOUT THIS ABUSE BUT I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS THE ONE WITH THE PROB. HE TOLD ME THAT HE SHOULD PUT ME ON PROBATION AND THEN FIRE ME ANYWAY. I HAVERECENTLY CALLED THE COMPANY 'OMBUDSMAN' ABOUT THE PROBS. HE ACTUALLY SUGGESTED THAT I INVITE THE MGR OUT FOR A BEER TO SMOOTH THINGS OVER. I TRULY FEEL THAT THIS IS AND HAS BEEN A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE FOR QUITE SOME TIME. THIS MGR FLIES OFF THE HANDLE WITHOUT WARNING, KICKING TRASH CANS AND THROWING THINGS IN THE TWR. THIS HAS HAD A TERRIBLE EFFECT ON CONCENTRATION IN THE TWR, AND IN MY PARTICULAR CASE I FEEL THAT MY PERSONAL SAFETY IS AT RISK. I HAVE OBSERVED THE MGR COMMIT SEVERAL OPERRORS AND DEVS, MANY OF WHICH I HAVE NOTES ON, BUT I AM AFRAID IF I RPT THEM I WILL BE FIRED. ON ONE OCCASION, AN ACFT HIT A DEER IN DAYLIGHT CONDITIONS. THE MGR WAS NOT SCANNING THE RWY, AND HE HABITUALLY FORGETS ABOUT CONFLICTING TFC RESULTING IN NUMEROUS CLOSE CALLS. THE MGR HAS RECENTLY BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES. HE IS TAKING MEDICINE FOR THE CONDITION, AND IS DOWN AT THIS TIME. HOWEVER, I SUSPECT THAT HE IS MANIPULATING THE FLT SURGEON'S DEPT IN AN ATTEMPT TO AVOID BEING PERMANENTLY DISQUALIFIED FROM PERFORMING ATC DUTIES. I HAVE HEARD OF HIM DISTORTING THE TRUTH ABOUT HIS CONDITION TO THE FLT SURGEON ON THE PHONE. I THINK THAT HIS MEDICAL CONDITION IS WORSE THAN HE LETS ON TO BE, AND HE IS CLOSE PERSONAL FRIENDS WITH THE LCL AME. I FEEL THAT HIS MEDICAL CONDITION COULD BE A LARGE CAUSE OF HIS ANGER AND MOOD SWINGS. AS I SAID, THIS IS NOT A CASE OF DISGRUNTLEMENT OR PERSONALITY CONFLICTS, THESE SITS THAT HE CREATES ARE UNSAFE FOR THE CTLRS WHICH CAN ONLY RESULT IN HAZARDOUS SITS TO AIR TFC. I AM MAKING THIS RPT BECAUSE I HAVE NO OTHER RECOURSE. I'VE GONE TO THE UNION BUT HAVE ONLY RECEIVED A SIMPLE APOLOGY FOR THE ABUSE THAT HAS BEEN INFLICTED ON ME, WHICH DOES NOTHING TO ADDRESS THE SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARDS THAT I HAVE SEEN OCCUR. THIS IS A RPT OF A HUMAN HAZARD TO AVIATION SAFETY. I AM NOT AN FAA WORKER, THEREFORE MY ANONYMITY IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT FACILITY MGR IS STILL AT FACILITY. HOWEVER, RELATIONSHIP APPEARS TO BE SLIGHTLY BETTER THAN BEFORE. RPTR HAD PREVIOUSLY CONTACTED FAA HOTLINE AND LEFT HOME PHONE NUMBER, BUT DID NOT RECEIVE A RETURN CALL. RPTR ALSO WANTS TO MAINTAIN LOW PROFILE AND NOT MAKE ANY WAVES. HAS REQUESTED THAT ASRS NOT TAKE ANY ACTION TO ESCALATE THE ALLEGED PROB.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.