# On 202 Workshop: inefficiencies and underperformance



## upandatom (7 Apr 2015)

Brasidas said:
			
		

> Someone's not a fan of Calian?



Calian for POET was great, most were former military and understood the game. Training wise for Courses I do not mind Calian, most are retired, or Med release members that know and understand the inner workings.

I'm not a fan of the Civilian employees like the ones in the 202 DA. Im not a fan of Military members being able to create civilian positions customized to themselves in High Op Tempo units, I can name two right off the bat in one High Tempo units that have done it in the past 5 years. 

Fact is The CAF is a Military Organization. Why are Civilians with ZERO military experience being put into leadership positions with High Income Salaries (the "OC" in 202 makes near 90-100k a year). I am totally understanding of the expertise that some of these people have. However I have worked with them. 
When their outright laziness, their holier then thou attitude gets in the way. We need to show them the door. When Military members are treated like second class citizens and are hand washing equipment weeks on end "B!tch" boys in a MILITARY unit by Civilians something is wrong. 

It had eventually worn down to the point that when a military member had a medical/dental appt. The member would have to stay late to do gain the man hours back. 

I have worked with good and bad civilians, 202 was by far the worst, with several good ones in that unit. 

I had some great experiences in the CAF, and 202 just killed it for me. The amount of "Bloat" there is one place to start.


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## George Wallace (7 Apr 2015)

upandatom said:
			
		

> Calian for POET was great, most were former military and understood the game. Training wise for Courses I do not mind Calian, most are retired, or Med release members that know and understand the inner workings.
> 
> I'm not a fan of the Civilian employees like the ones in the 202 DA. Im not a fan of Military members being able to create civilian positions customized to themselves in High Op Tempo units, I can name two right off the bat in one High Tempo units that have done it in the past 5 years.
> 
> ...



Thank you for your first hand experience and comments about 202.

In the Mid '80s we sent tanks to 202 with new parts and track and got back 'junk'.  One powerpack came back with only one inch of metal holding the engine to the transmission and daylight showing between the two, when the Maintainers pulled the pack for their acceptance inspection.  Not to mention the rusty old track on the vehicle.  It seemed that the tanks were coming back in worse condition than they left, with only a new paint job to prove they had gone in to 202.  All respect for 202 and anything 202 was lost that day.


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## Scoobie Newbie (7 Apr 2015)

What or who exactly is 202?


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## Kirkhill (7 Apr 2015)

Could 202 be outsourced?

You have new LAVs built in London.  You have LAVs being reset in Edmonton.  You have Rheinmetall in Quebec.  You have DEW - who rebuilt the TLAVs, Grizzlies and Bisons in New Brunswick.  Don't they all have the same capabilities as 202?

Not picking on 202 but it is kind of a poster boy for the discussion on where, when and how you can integrate civilians into the supply chain.


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## OldSolduer (7 Apr 2015)

Sheep Dog AT said:
			
		

> What or who exactly is 202?



202 Workshops. It's a third? Line maintenance facility affectionately know to RCEME soldiers as 202 Paintshop.


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## Scoobie Newbie (7 Apr 2015)

Ahh gotcha.


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## upandatom (7 Apr 2015)

George Wallace said:
			
		

> Thank you for your first hand experience and comments about 202.
> 
> In the Mid '80s we sent tanks to 202 with new parts and track and got back 'junk'.  One powerpack came back with only one inch of metal holding the engine to the transmission and daylight showing between the two, when the Maintainers pulled the pack for their acceptance inspection.  Not to mention the rusty old track on the vehicle.  It seemed that the tanks were coming back in worse condition than they left, with only a new paint job to prove they had gone in to 202.  All respect for 202 and anything 202 was lost that day.



Rarely we agree GW, There is no accountability there. The contractors, do the bare minimum. The full time employees, bypass the 3 month probation due to passing it with their contract work. 
Even when a vehicle goes from one unit (the LAnd unit, the deployable vehicles unit) to 202 and back the original Veh Techs and Comm Techs have to REDO the work of the 202 pers to ensure serviceability. 
The testing is bogus, the QC and QA is a joke. Very little of the equipment is actually tested and made serviceable for how the CAF uses it. 
ITs tested according to the manuals. The "Experts" in house dont go to the units, they have no clue how its used and abused by the units that actually use the kit. 
Explain how these experts determine that a piece of kit is useable for domestic or international ops. 
Saying that, the military members there, they do care about the kit they work on, many do understand that the possibility lives are on the line for the maintenance and repair of the kit are completed, mostly because they have deployed with that kit. 

Here is a quick story- 
I was placed in charge of a section, they were doing retrofits, and the gear inside needed to be tested, and oddly enough they had no set procedure. I brought in a standardized way of testing, ensured EVERY piece of kit, every wire was serviceable and it created accountability. They realised it was actual work, but not hard work, you could have a vehicle done a day, which was faster then how they were doing it to begin with. (they would take a week per vehicle, or piss around waiting on "parts" from another section in house to stretch it out). 
Two days later I was removed from the position and put into a corner. The civilian employees bitched to the union and it went up. 

202 works close with Rheinmetall, as a matter of fact they just gave a bunch of bays to them I think to complete upgrades. 
PArts of 202 can easily be outsourced, with a skeleton crew of SNCO keeping an eye on the EME side. 
As for the sigs side, its a waste of effin money. BLEEDING MONEY. They do an odd upgrade once in a while on comms gear, (the Gun speakers), 95% of the "3rd" line repairs can actually be done in the unit. The upgrades can be pushed out via tech specs to units to do the upgrade themselves. 
In essence, you have created a ball and chain on the LCMMs legs, they cant do their job properly. They get fed BS from the workers at 202, to the point that if your a military member, and your civilian CoC finds out about you talking to LCMMs you get in shit. 

I have brought this up to respective personnel, I have done a thorough AAR, and review of procedure for it. 

I dont think 202 needs to be axed completely, just a major cleanup. (also the reasoning for it being on the Island now is Mute, why is it still their on Expensive land?)


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## Colin Parkinson (7 Apr 2015)

At least they are consistent, we bitched about them in the 80's, received a howitzer from them that had a recoil failure. I got to help the gun techs in Shilo strip it down, metal shavings in the recoil system caused gouges in the walls.


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## Scoobie Newbie (7 Apr 2015)

So who is their saviour?


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## George Wallace (7 Apr 2015)

Sheep Dog AT said:
			
		

> So who is their saviour?



Not the Union.


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## upandatom (7 Apr 2015)

The idea behind 202 is a great one. 
Take out the cost of shipping equipment around the country. (I was an advocate for a 202 out west as well). It could work, and be beneficial and not the money pit it is today. 

From the comms side, I witnessed members doing the exact same repairs etc in house at the units. Even Installs and VIs were done in house. 

A major part of the problem is the make work project created post afghan. the refurb of the kit, needed to be done, Good. Get it done. Do not however spend 3 of the 4 hours per piece of kit you are allotted to spend cleaning the damn thing and not verifying its serviceability. When it hits that 4 hours on that kit they turn around and label it BER. Without even testing it.  It is written into their docs to Clean and then test. Not test and then clean. If it works, it should be cleaned and placed back into the system. Not just labelled BER, returned to the depot, and then returned to 202 at a later date to do the exact same trip.

(4 hours is an example, I remember seeing you get 1 hr per antenna, that is clean, test, tag etc)

Ill probably get a nastygram for posting this, Although I was always vocal about bringing it up my CoC and even when I left I provided the right people with this information.


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## George Wallace (7 Apr 2015)

Sometimes it takes something like this to make them "get off the pot".


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## upandatom (8 Apr 2015)

George Wallace said:
			
		

> Sometimes it takes something like this to make them "get off the pot".



Even then, 
Civilian management has their hand so far up ADM MATs arse they are checking their molars. Unions are pretty entrenched there. It is a difficult situation. The Federal government pulls several hundred jobs from a piss poor area of Montreal on the Island, you end up with the whole eastern side of Montreal Island pissed off at the current federal government. Even more so if that gets moved to another central location. It would be a decade before any real change is made. 

There isnt a logical reason for keeping that unit there any more. The Dock yard is not used anywhere near as much as it was, most equipment from west is transported in via rail. So the vehicles have to get transported from south shore to 202 on the island. 

Oddly enough my biggest pet peeve and what drove me furious there had nothing to do with the quality of work, or the ignorance. 

It had to do with one Mens Dinner/Christmas Dinner/Soldiers Dinner/Festive Dinner or whatever you may call it now. 
We lined up (if you can call it that) made our way in, passed the greeting line, and shortly after that is the Table of the missing soldier, the empty chair with boots, with food already on it. Their is no order to how or where the civilians sit, they yell, they wander, they leave for smokes, bathroom. The CO attempts to gain control and deliver speech, no one is listening, yelling or talking louder over top of the CO, or even wandering over to the table of the missing soldier, grabbing food off the plate,(the nuts or the cocktail there) and moving back to their chair and sitting down. 
Absolute disgregard. Then the civilian management comes over and informs the military personnel to return to work, ok I get it, work needs to be done, sure. Most return to work, and low and behold no civilians show up. They all buggered off. 

At that point I gave up all hope, alot of personnel did, we had a fair amount of young reservists working with us that were shown the absolute wrong way for a military tradition.


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## George Wallace (8 Apr 2015)

Only thing I can think of after reading that is that the Government do as the Irving Company does.  The employees toe the line, or they pull the plug.  

I returned to Pet after ten or so years in Gagetown.  I saw how the Irving Companies operated.  They bought properties, but did not sell them, keeping prime real estate in their control.  If one of their operations had a Strike, they closed that operation.  No negotiations.  When Canada Splint in Pembroke, an Irving company, went on strike, the workers did not realize that they had just put their jobs on  the line.  Irving simply closed the mill.  They kept the prime real estate in the center of town, and tore down the mill.  

Perhaps the Government should take some lessons from the Irvings.   >                                        :dunno:





I know that would raise quite the stink and not be a wise political move, even if it may be necessary to clean up the operations there.


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## McG (8 Apr 2015)

Kirkhill said:
			
		

> Could 202 be outsourced?
> 
> ...
> 
> Not picking on 202 but it is kind of a poster boy for the discussion on where, when and how you can integrate civilians into the supply chain.


In the late '90s, it was one of the areas for ASD & MEO efficiencies.  It is also very much an example of civilians integrated into our sustainment system - it is full of public servants.



			
				Kirkhill said:
			
		

> You have new LAVs built in London.  You have LAVs being reset in Edmonton.  You have Rheinmetall in Quebec.  You have DEW - who rebuilt the TLAVs, Grizzlies and Bisons in New Brunswick.  Don't they all have the same capabilities as 202?


202 offers a few advantages that we cannot get outside.  

Commercial maintenance facilities are first come, first serve.  There is no queue jumping unless, maybe, you are the dominant customer.  Out west, MSVS can spend a lot of time sitting in a service providers lot waiting for their turn beside all the oil and forest industry equipment.  When DND owns the shop, then we can dictate efforts according to operational priorities.

Some of our equipment is so old, replacement parts need to be custom manufactured.  LCMMs do look at the costs and then either allow units to contract locally or the job can be sent to 202.  

Sometimes, we own the rights to tinker with the intellectual property (IP) of our equipment but we cannot extend that right via contract to a third party.  202 lets us do this in-house, playing "monster garage" to modify Leopard 1 mineploughs to make paths fit for Leopard 2 or to mate mine rollers on a tank that was never designed to take them.  

When Canada bought German EOD robots and tried to charge them from within US MRAPs, the two systems did not get along and the MRAP power source was force off. In under two days and at a much reduced cost than paying the OEMs to do the systems integration, 202 found a solution and developed a fleet wide modification package.

And of course, the obvious military requirement: 202 force generates the nucleus of technical maintenance teams which deploy into operations for mission enabling equipment modifications and improvements.


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## upandatom (8 Apr 2015)

MCG said:
			
		

> And of course, the obvious military requirement: 202 force generates the nucleus of technical maintenance teams which deploy into operations for mission enabling equipment modifications and improvements.



I find this a mute point, the pers that were deployed from there, (Mostly Officers) were not SMEs. 

Alot has to be said about being able to rely on your people, your techs, whether they are comms, veh, mat, egs, eds, or eo. Trust them, give them the power to do as you have trained them. 

The wasted finances at 202 are astronomical. Its one thing to see actual product coming from there (which is Sub Par at best), seeing what comes out. and then comparing it to the price tag that is actually present. 
Yes finding a shop to do the work 202 does for custom parts, yes that can be a long and painstaking process. It will give an out, and have the actual accountability to get work done right and on time. Setting strict guidelines for completing projects on time that would have financial consequences companies would fall in line. 

I fully understand the need for IP rights, as well as security reasons. However, If you give the precise requirements for parts, with the specifications and tolerances, you have no reason to tell the 3rd party why they are making it.

OR

Actually use your members?
Im sorry but spending money to train your people to a certain level, and then have them sent to some closet somewhere and twiddle their thumbs because they are taking work away from union workers is bs.  

I have not once said I don't agree with what 202 COULD potentially accomplish , I think its something that has gone wrong, and the LCMMs are being fed BS costs as to what actually gets fixed, and gets scrapped and why the pieces are scrapped. I am sure that if they knew CIs were getting BER/BLR and sent to scrap for have a crack in the casing that in no way effects performance of the kit, or the integrity(EMSEC, or power) of it they would be astounded.


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## McG (8 Apr 2015)

CRS report on 202 Workshop:  http://www.crs.forces.gc.ca/reports-rapports/pdf/2007/P0675-eng.pdf 

The analysis appears to have been gentle.


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## upandatom (8 Apr 2015)

MCG said:
			
		

> CRS report on 202 Workshop:  http://www.crs.forces.gc.ca/reports-rapports/pdf/2007/P0675-eng.pdf
> 
> The analysis appears to have been gentle.



2007- a bit old, when the ratio of Military to civilian was a lot closer together, and the information that they would collect for the two years is only as legitimate as the people putting it into the system. 

ITs a good report non the less, when money was at its peak during Afghanistan. 

Does it take into account that BER/BLR may not be a considered a loss? that it gets put back into the supply system, and returned for repairs at a later date?


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## Kat Stevens (8 Apr 2015)

Ah yes, 202 Paint Shop and AVLB bridge quarters that were all supposed to roll through there for refurb on their way to units when Germany closed.  Half of them were missing pins on the pin rack and two of them had no bearing cups installed.


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## Bruce Monkhouse (8 Apr 2015)

upandatom said:
			
		

> Unions





			
				upandatom said:
			
		

> At that point I gave up all hope,



Again, for the 1,456th time..................a strong Union results because of wishy-washy management..............full stop.
I'm a Union guy and I have no power except what we can wrangle at bargaining time, if management [in this case the military] just keeps caving, or "giving up all hope", then who's fault is that?


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## George Wallace (8 Apr 2015)

Bruce.  Not to argue with you, but I have formed an opinion that some Unions are good Unions who are working hard for their membership; while some Unions are not, working only to benefit and profit the Union leaders, or working solely to create a work place where members get paid whether they are productive or not.  It would appear from what is said here, that the unions at 202 are of the latter type, creating a situation where their members are less than productive, and perhaps criminal in their actions.


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## Bruce Monkhouse (8 Apr 2015)

George Wallace said:
			
		

> Bruce.  Not to argue with you, but I have formed an opinion that some Unions are good Unions who are working hard for their membership; while some Unions are not, working only to benefit and profit the Union leaders, or working solely to create a work place where members get paid whether they are productive or not.  It would appear from what is said here, that the unions at 202 are of the latter type, creating a situation where their members are less than productive, and perhaps criminal in their actions.



How are the Unions creating a workplace??  Management creates a workplace...........the Unions follow the rules that management lays out,,,,,,,,,,,,,now, if management is crooked....


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## Fishbone Jones (9 Apr 2015)

Bruce Monkhouse said:
			
		

> How are the Unions creating a workplace??  Management creates a workplace...........the Unions follow the rules that management lays out,,,,,,,,,,,,,now, if management is crooked....



Bruce, I'm not going to lecture. We, you and I, know for a fact the unions, and workers, do not always follow the rules management lays out.  The OHSA lays out the rules and standards for ALL workplace parties to follow. It's part of the IRS. Section 28 states the rules for workers. A large number of contraventions I cite and tickets I give is because the WORKERS consistently fail to follow the law or employers terms of employment.

There are also workers, in certain bargaining units, that consistently do work refusals to get immediate attention, even though they know their WR will be changed to a complaint under section 43. Yet they persist in wasting money and tying up valuable resources calling them in anyway, in order to score a large number of safety points against the employer for grievances and bargaining purposes. I have yet to attend a work refusal, and I've done more than a few, with that bargaining unit that actually fit the definition of a work refusal. They were all changed to complaints, even the ones that the union, who knows they are not WRs, also launched. Why? Because they think they are more important that the critical injury I'm attending, where someone has fallen two stories and is laying there with two broken legs and a broken pelvis.

The Internal Responsibility System is not a one way street with the employer responsible for everything.

And make no mistake. I've had unions try bend the rules, utilize a partial phrase instead of using the whole section in context, sit at the table banging on it with fists and hurling expletives, at the calm, composed employers like a bunch of out of control chimpanzees throwing feces.

All that saying is, that contrary to your opinion, it is a two way street. The unions and workers can, and are, just as culpable as the employer for many of the problems found in workplaces.

Let me put another spin on it. Some of the cleanest, safest workplaces, with excellent safety records and workers earning competitive wages and benefits, while enjoying all kinds of perks for productivity and gladly sharing equal responsibility, with the employer, for the workplace, are non union shops. 

I wonder why that is.


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## Kat Stevens (9 Apr 2015)

My son works in a manufacturing plant in Edmonton, non union shop, in the QC and inspection department.  A number of years ago their shop began to fill up with machinists who were refugees from the failed Ontario auto industry.  They bought their union attitudes with them, always doing the bare minimum, and sometimes not even that, all while sitting around and bitching about how shitty Alberta and it's shitty non union shops are.  These guys make pumps and drilling components for the energy industry (we can't call it oil and gas any more because people spit on us when we do), since these guys started showing up the fail/reject/return rate has gone up remarkably.  Before, a guy chucked a piece of stock in his machine, and unchucked a finished component, deburred and polished.  The new dudes apparently think that the deburring fairy will clean up their crap for them.  Morale and productivity are both down, and is attributable to the influx of these guys.


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## Bruce Monkhouse (9 Apr 2015)

recceguy said:
			
		

> There are also workers, in certain bargaining units, that consistently do work refusals to get immediate attention,


Say it ain't so my friend. ;D



			
				recceguy said:
			
		

> Let me put another spin on it. Some of the cleanest, safest workplaces, with excellent safety records and workers earning competitive wages and benefits, while enjoying all kinds of perks for productivity and gladly sharing equal responsibility, with the employer, for the workplace, are non union shops.
> 
> I wonder why that is.



Good management......


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## MilEME09 (9 Apr 2015)

Talking with a guy in my unit who used to work in the ship yards, its the same way there. Honestly I don't think all unions are bad, however the good ones are few and in industries that don't have major global impacts. Something needs to be done to clean up Unions, to often do i see bad workers a company cant get rid off because of a unions protective blanket. DND is no different


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## Bruce Monkhouse (9 Apr 2015)

MilEME09 said:
			
		

> Talking with a guy in my unit who used to work in the ship yards, its the same way there. Honestly I don't think all unions are bad, however the good ones are few and in industries that don't have major global impacts. Something needs to be done to clean up Unions, to often do i see bad workers a company cant get rid off because of a unions protective blanket. DND is no different



THIS is what galls me.................the UNION does not 'protect' anyone.  Workplace rules dictate this..............if management has done their side of the paperwork then all I can do as a steward is try for the best settlement possible.
We had an issue about 8 weeks ago........airtight case and the best the Union could do was cut a deal for the person to resign and thereby keep some severance benefits.

Management would rather tell you it's the Union's fault rather then say they're lazy and stupid obviously....


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## MilEME09 (9 Apr 2015)

Bruce Monkhouse said:
			
		

> THIS is what galls me.................the UNION does not 'protect' anyone.  Workplace rules dictate this..............if management has done their side of the paperwork then all I can do as a steward is try for the best settlement possible.
> We had an issue about 8 weeks ago........airtight case and the best the Union could do was cut a deal for the person to resign and thereby keep some severance benefits.
> If you 'retire'



my apologies, working in a for the most part non-union industry I just get second hand stories of unions coming to the rescue of some worker running a tight rope from an employer.


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## Bruce Monkhouse (9 Apr 2015)

MilEME09 said:
			
		

> my apologies, working in a for the most part non-union industry I just get second hand stories of unions coming to the rescue of some worker running a tight rope from an employer.



No need to apologize at all.......I'd be a moron if I said it didn't happen sometimes.


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## Pusser (9 Apr 2015)

When dealing with delicate personnel situations, rules need to be followed and be seen to be followed.  They protect EVERYBODY.I can give a number of examples that I've either witnessed or had to deal with over the years:

1)  a young sailor was injured (broken neck) and released.  He appealed his release to a human rights tribunal and won.  The CF had to reinstate him and pay him 2-3 year's worth of backpay.  Had the case been handled properly, the CF could have at least gotten some form or service out him for those 2-3 years.  I will point out that he was fully fit to do his job (boatswain), so this was not a case of hurt feelings.  It was a case of lazy management.

2)  the XO of my ship wanted to simply drum a young sailor out of the Navy for being a liar, cheat and generally useless waste of rations (he was all of those things).  Both his divisional officer and myself were involved in a screaming match with the XO over the handling of the case and our (the DO and I) view that we had to follow the process or it would come back to bite us later.  We argued that we would look pretty foolish if the kid was thrown out and then reinstated on appeal because we hadn't done it properly (the kid was a moron, but his family was rich).  The DO and I won the argument - sort of (the XO writes Head of Department PERs ...) and the kid remained.  Just was eventually served in that the kid was given enough rope to hang himself, which he eventually did (and all fully documented).  Not only was he chucked out of the Navy, he had nice little trip to Edmonton en route.

3)  My Chief Cook wanted to throw one of his junior cooks out of the Navy.  Again, the case was quite clear - kid didn't seem to like to bathe (BAD for a cook), was consistently late, had NEVER passed an ExPres test, ...), but none of it was documented.  The dagger eyes I got from the Chief Cook when I told him that we couldn't proceed with a release under the circumstances were glaring.  Luckily, the Dept Coord took him aside and explained that I was simply doing my job.  In the end, after a period of proper monitoring and documentation, said filthy cook was chucked out, but on an airtight case.  We received no arguments from NDHQ at a time when they were routinely overturning unit recommendations on releases.

4)  This one is actually a union example.  Most of my subordinates in one job were civilians, one of which was giving me significant grief (an ex-army WO who somehow seemed to feel that since he was now in a union, he had a "rights").  I jumped on the problem right away.  I read the collective agreement (this is a key point) and spoke to the Union - who told the employee to get on with it and do his job.  On a health and safety issue, I convened a meeting of the Health and Safety Committee and his own co-workers told to get on with it and do his job.

Although unions are not necessarily friends of management, they are not the enemy either.  A good union will not "protect" a bad employee, but they will ensure that due process is followed.  This protects EVERYBODY.  From a management perspective, if you have a troublesome employee, read the collective agreement (although don't wait until a problem arises), learn the process, follow the rules (to the letter), engage the union and it will all work out eventually.  It may take awhile, but if you do it right, it will be done and it won't come back to haunt you.


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## upandatom (9 Apr 2015)

Bruce- I will agree that there are some good unions, and some bad ones. 
As well- I will agree that Lazy Management that allows CBAs to get to such a ridiculous point where the employees get handwashing mulitple times a day (4 total I believe), as well as some outrageous amounts of holiday period.

However- This is DND, IT has requirements and needs, standards that are to be met. TO a certain extent someone needs to step in and say enough is enough. Stop wasting time and money.

When they came down and said near 100 contract and some odd number of people were not having their contracts renewed. I was smiling, sounds harsh but truthful. I knew that most of those contract workers were playing the system as if they were part of the union. They would come in for overtime, hang out with feet on desks or workstations, or bring in a laptop and play WOW, Battlefield or Starcraft over the wifi for half the time they were on overtime. They had caused their own demise. 

In other units, if you are not qualified on kit, equipment you don't work on it. Or someone that is qualified will go over your work. In that unit, doesn't mean jack, you work on what you want to work on, you don't need qualifications, just follow the sheet in front of you (in French, and god forbid you are an Anglo and ask for an English copy, that isn't going to happen)

While there I would frequently hear Good Job Speeches, and Kudos from Higher ranks (LCol and above). However, having dealt with kit from 202 that was supposed to be "Serviceable" and it not working, or missing pieces, or fails a rattle test with screws floating around inside, I fail to see how a good job is being accomplished. Even when kit was sent back, the paperwork clearly traced it to the technician that worked on it, there were no consequences for the poor quality of work. 

They write their own rules there. I was told more then once "we are our own, we do things differently"
And seeing/reading more and more lets me know its all over the place there.


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## Halifax Tar (9 Apr 2015)

upandatom said:
			
		

> They write their own rules there. I was told more then once "we are our own, we do things differently"
> And seeing/reading more and more lets me know its all over the place there.



This seems to be popping up all over.  It makes me scratch my head.  We have orders and directives for a reason yet some feel they can do as they please.


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## captloadie (9 Apr 2015)

I don't fault union members from applying the collective agreement to their advantage. I have found that the more "difficult" the individual, the more knowledgeable of the collective agreement they are, which is no different than the barrack room lawyers we have in uniform.

I also think that we also confuse the Union with the CHRO advisors and other civilian "management". I have never had real issues dealing with the Union representation, but when trying to take action regarding civilian performance or disciplinary issues, it is usually the Labour relations personnel who throw up the roadblocks. Their mantra is usually "well, yes you could do that, but it will likely upset the union, so we recommend some other/less effective course of action." They often confuse upsetting the union with the union doing their job in representing their members.

Where I disagree with Bruce is the opinion that all decisions are taken by "management" and not the Union or union members. 202 Workshop sounds like the perfect example where many of the decision makers don't where a uniform, fill management positions, are full Union members (often senior members in a Union) and make biased decisions to satisfy Union pressures rather than organization/mission goals. This doesn't make the Union bad, it means that particular local has "bad" people in it.


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## Bruce Monkhouse (9 Apr 2015)

captloadie said:
			
		

> Where I disagree with Bruce is the opinion that all decisions are taken by "management" and not the Union or union members. 202 Workshop sounds like the perfect example where many of the decision makers don't where a uniform, fill management positions, are full Union members (often senior members in a Union) and make biased decisions to satisfy Union pressures rather than organization/mission goals. This doesn't make the Union bad, it means that particular local has "bad" people in it.



This may sound like a broken record but "The Union" doesn't get to "make" decisions. If they do then there are some really pathetic folks calling themselves supervisors. 
  This workplace sounds like a spot where MANAGEMENT has let it go so wrong that closure might be the only option.  Hey, there's a reason we stick someone of a higher, and hopefully capable, rank with the troops.................if everyone did exactly what they were supposed to be doing totally unsupervised then why even bother having ranks and stuff??

Just a reason to pay some people more??


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## upandatom (9 Apr 2015)

Bruce Monkhouse said:
			
		

> This may sound like a broken record but "The Union" doesn't get to "make" decisions. If they do then there are some really pathetic folks calling themselves supervisors.
> This workplace sounds like a spot where MANAGEMENT has let it go so wrong that closure might be the only option.  Hey, there's a reason we stick someone of a higher, and hopefully capable, rank with the troops.................if everyone did exactly what they were supposed to be doing totally unsupervised then why even bother having ranks and stuff??
> 
> Just a reason to pay some people more??



There are many in there that should not be getting paid at all, let alone in charge.


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## Will M (6 Mar 2018)

Interesting comments many with substance. I was at 202 for 2 years 78-88. It seemed on the wpns side both small arms and Leopards at the time that some civilian and military individuals did not have the training or were incompetent. Our small arms civilian boss made more work for us than necessary just by being incompetent, and one civilian ex mil employee the same.  Once the civ. boss ordered us to sand blast and parkerize all the bad worn firearms parts and then put them back in the drawers with the new parts. All the explaining never reached passed his skull so we did it. What a Sh...t show relacing parts, over half did not work and the time wasted was incredible. With the Leo rebuild it seemed they didn't know how to test internal air pressure in the crew compartment, I had to tell them you won't get the numbers you require until you stick a casing or round up the breech to plug that 105mm hole.
Once we had a couple Leos running up until the building was evacuated for the afternoon. Piss off the civies and they know the tricks. Once the line stopped because both civilians , the only ones who knew how to wire the turret both went off sick due to being harassed by mil staff. Morale was not there and for mil personnel it was not a place to be posted since factory work is not what they signed up for.
I must say there were some great civilians and mil. there also which most likely was responsible for keeping 202 alive.
One word of warning to managers, don't trust anyone who volunteers for lockup, I knew one who made it into a shopping trip. Biked out with a heavy backpack each evening. I think he could have set up his own machine shop.


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