This is a working mans Blog so here ya go ...
If anyone has ever worked at American Airlines they know that it is like NO OTHER work environment in America. The crap that goes on the flight line you couldn't write it ... even if it happened in Hollywood....
This week in Review...
An employee was care flighted to the hospital with life threatening injuries. Big Carl is his nick name and this guy is as big as "Andre The Giant". He works on the Lavatory dump truck (I call it a TURD HEARSE ... where all good things come to an end). Hardest worker I know and true "Gentle Giant" ~ 25 to 30 year guy a real "poster boy" for the company....
The front wheel of the lav truck just "fell off" as he was on his way to service an airplane. The Turd Hearse skidded to a halt and he was ejected from the vehicle and head smacks into the curb. One of my union guys said his head was pointing in one direction and his body in another and Carl was not moving...
They shut down the road way and in comes the helicopter (thank god for EMS people ... best in the world) and take him away. We find lug nuts from the wheel had snapped off and all the lavatory trucks are out of service until they can be inspected. I assume OSHA will be out to complete their investigation to see what was the cause...
Later in the week I get a call from another union official (who shall remain nameless) and he informs me that OSHA was out and found an extension cord that was improperly plugged in and he removed it so nobody would "get in trouble". I also noticed this week that there are letters from the company posted everywhere that we need to be in uniform or expect dire consequences....
A guy almost dies and is now out of work and the only thing I hear about is an extension cord and you better be in uniform ? What I should have heard is that every Chief Chief of every title group was informed of what happened and instructed to check their vehicles in the immediate work area.Anyway .... Carl has two broken vertebrates in his back and he is going to have a long road to recovery. He has 10 days to get better then he is dumped into Texas Workers Compensation system. .
Then the employee starts loosing retirement credited service (even though he got hurt at work). He is "off payroll" and has to start paying for his own health care and after two years if he is not better Workman's Compensation is stopped and he is on his own.What a terrible way to end a
long career.
Edit: I spoke with Big Carl this morning and he was moved that people who did not even know him would care. Also he said that he has 2 broken vertebrates in his lower back. Once again Thank you for your words of encouragement.
5 comments:
I will pray for his recovery.
Sorry to hear of your co-workers accident. I pray that all is well with him and he has no long-term effects. You are right about Careflight,very professional. Not just the sky/docs but the grounders are the finest of people also. My best friend was an E.M.T. aboard two flights that crashed. These folks are true givers. Again hope all turns out well.
That is why companies are having such a hard time now. They treat their employees like robots and if one breaks down, they just replace him with another robot and life goes on. Sucks don't it. no wonder why there is no loyality to the company anymore.
Thank you folks for your words of encouragement. I will pass it on to Big Carl.
And Old Timer believe it or not most of the employees are VERY loyal to this company. They have invested their entire lives to build it. It is the companies that are not loyal to their employees.
The hardest people to witness are the ones like Carl who actually believed that the company cared and they find out to late that they didn't.
Its all about "return on your investment"
Texas Workers Compensation is absolutely the worst thing that ever happened to the Texas worker.
They guarantee that the employee can never sue the employer for job related injury, no matter what the level of negligence.
If he would have died, $6000 is the maximum benefit!
Many times, workers comp is cheaper for the employer than proper equipment maintenence...but that's just our government taking care of us!
Post a Comment