Narrative:

1) late arriving aircraft with pressure to meet schedule. 2) disregard of sops. 3) critical staffing shortages during high volume times. (Also occurring at ord; dca.) 4) training and accountability. While running the checklist and getting ready for push back I noticed a female (supervisor?) trying to get my attention from the ground. She had her arms in the air giving the 'set brakes' hand signal; and I returned the signal that the brakes were set. She then gave repeated hand signals to release the brakes...I thought they wanted to relieve pressure from the nosewheel chock; so I released the brake and returned the 'brakes released' signal. She then looked back and gave the 'start engine' signal and the aircraft began to move. There was no further eye contact with me so I could signal them to stop...we were 'along for the ride' until the push; complete with a 90 degree turn; was terminated. At one point toward the end of the push we observed the woman talking on her cell phone. The checklist was completed and we waited until everyone was clear of the aircraft. A ground crew member was summoned for proper signals to commence engine start and clearance to taxi. We departed without further incident...in awe of what we had just witnessed. We have observed ramp operations at all domestic stations deteriorate to a level of safety that is causing great concern amongst flight crews. There is a tremendous amount of pressure on gate and ramp personnel to complete scheduled departures with less than adequate staffing and ramp equipment that is in working order. In addition; since the implementation of new ramp procedures...standardization has been non existent. Ramp employees also confide in us their frustration and lack of support from their superiors. The ramp issues are also becoming a distraction from cockpit duties. It is time for corrective action to bring ramp operations up to safety standards.callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that he believed the person supervising the pushback was not a contract employee. She had been in the aircraft earlier as a cleaner and became frustrated and upset about some event that occurred while interacting with the cleaning crew. At pushback time she was visually signaling the crew to first set the parking brake; then release it; then signaling a push back with an engine start. As the pushback was commenced the reporter stated that a ramp person with a headset was just ahead of the aircraft unseen by the pushback supervisor. When the aircraft began moving; the unattached headset person turned around leaving the immediate ramp area. The reporter radioed station operations to report what he perceived as the non standard and unsafe event occurring. He now believes that the phone call the pushback supervisor responded to was from operations reporting the captain's concern to her. The reporter stated that increased non compliance with ramp procedure is becoming air carrier wide and he believes part of the problem is a morale issue. Reporter stated this is a morale issue that has spread wide and appears to be getting worse. Additionally; station mgmt is pushing employees because of bonuses they receive when fewer employees are needed to perform tasks now compared to previous periods. The third reason the reporter sees is mixing crews from merged acrs and the adaptation of new procedures that have not become standardized.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR PLT IS PUSHED BACK FROM A ZZZ GATE BY A GND CREW USING NON-STANDARD COMMUNICATIONS PROCS.

Narrative: 1) LATE ARRIVING AIRCRAFT WITH PRESSURE TO MEET SCHEDULE. 2) DISREGARD OF SOPS. 3) CRITICAL STAFFING SHORTAGES DURING HIGH VOLUME TIMES. (ALSO OCCURRING AT ORD; DCA.) 4) TRAINING AND ACCOUNTABILITY. WHILE RUNNING THE CHECKLIST AND GETTING READY FOR PUSH BACK I NOTICED A FEMALE (SUPERVISOR?) TRYING TO GET MY ATTENTION FROM THE GROUND. SHE HAD HER ARMS IN THE AIR GIVING THE 'SET BRAKES' HAND SIGNAL; AND I RETURNED THE SIGNAL THAT THE BRAKES WERE SET. SHE THEN GAVE REPEATED HAND SIGNALS TO RELEASE THE BRAKES...I THOUGHT THEY WANTED TO RELIEVE PRESSURE FROM THE NOSEWHEEL CHOCK; SO I RELEASED THE BRAKE AND RETURNED THE 'BRAKES RELEASED' SIGNAL. SHE THEN LOOKED BACK AND GAVE THE 'START ENGINE' SIGNAL AND THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO MOVE. THERE WAS NO FURTHER EYE CONTACT WITH ME SO I COULD SIGNAL THEM TO STOP...WE WERE 'ALONG FOR THE RIDE' UNTIL THE PUSH; COMPLETE WITH A 90 DEGREE TURN; WAS TERMINATED. AT ONE POINT TOWARD THE END OF THE PUSH WE OBSERVED THE WOMAN TALKING ON HER CELL PHONE. THE CHECKLIST WAS COMPLETED AND WE WAITED UNTIL EVERYONE WAS CLEAR OF THE AIRCRAFT. A GROUND CREW MEMBER WAS SUMMONED FOR PROPER SIGNALS TO COMMENCE ENGINE START AND CLEARANCE TO TAXI. WE DEPARTED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT...IN AWE OF WHAT WE HAD JUST WITNESSED. WE HAVE OBSERVED RAMP OPERATIONS AT ALL DOMESTIC STATIONS DETERIORATE TO A LEVEL OF SAFETY THAT IS CAUSING GREAT CONCERN AMONGST FLIGHT CREWS. THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PRESSURE ON GATE AND RAMP PERSONNEL TO COMPLETE SCHEDULED DEPARTURES WITH LESS THAN ADEQUATE STAFFING AND RAMP EQUIPMENT THAT IS IN WORKING ORDER. IN ADDITION; SINCE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW RAMP PROCEDURES...STANDARDIZATION HAS BEEN NON EXISTENT. RAMP EMPLOYEES ALSO CONFIDE IN US THEIR FRUSTRATION AND LACK OF SUPPORT FROM THEIR SUPERIORS. THE RAMP ISSUES ARE ALSO BECOMING A DISTRACTION FROM COCKPIT DUTIES. IT IS TIME FOR CORRECTIVE ACTION TO BRING RAMP OPERATIONS UP TO SAFETY STANDARDS.CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT HE BELIEVED THE PERSON SUPERVISING THE PUSHBACK WAS NOT A CONTRACT EMPLOYEE. SHE HAD BEEN IN THE ACFT EARLIER AS A CLEANER AND BECAME FRUSTRATED AND UPSET ABOUT SOME EVENT THAT OCCURRED WHILE INTERACTING WITH THE CLEANING CREW. AT PUSHBACK TIME SHE WAS VISUALLY SIGNALING THE CREW TO FIRST SET THE PARKING BRAKE; THEN RELEASE IT; THEN SIGNALING A PUSH BACK WITH AN ENGINE START. AS THE PUSHBACK WAS COMMENCED THE RPTR STATED THAT A RAMP PERSON WITH A HEADSET WAS JUST AHEAD OF THE ACFT UNSEEN BY THE PUSHBACK SUPVR. WHEN THE ACFT BEGAN MOVING; THE UNATTACHED HEADSET PERSON TURNED AROUND LEAVING THE IMMEDIATE RAMP AREA. THE RPTR RADIOED STATION OPS TO RPT WHAT HE PERCEIVED AS THE NON STANDARD AND UNSAFE EVENT OCCURRING. HE NOW BELIEVES THAT THE PHONE CALL THE PUSHBACK SUPVR RESPONDED TO WAS FROM OPS RPTING THE CAPT'S CONCERN TO HER. THE RPTR STATED THAT INCREASED NON COMPLIANCE WITH RAMP PROC IS BECOMING ACR WIDE AND HE BELIEVES PART OF THE PROB IS A MORALE ISSUE. RPTR STATED THIS IS A MORALE ISSUE THAT HAS SPREAD WIDE AND APPEARS TO BE GETTING WORSE. ADDITIONALLY; STATION MGMT IS PUSHING EMPLOYEES BECAUSE OF BONUSES THEY RECEIVE WHEN FEWER EMPLOYEES ARE NEEDED TO PERFORM TASKS NOW COMPARED TO PREVIOUS PERIODS. THE THIRD REASON THE RPTR SEES IS MIXING CREWS FROM MERGED ACRS AND THE ADAPTATION OF NEW PROCS THAT HAVE NOT BECOME STANDARDIZED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.