I have been getting regular complaints from Americans working for LOGCAP contractors in Kuwait. The complaints are primarily about DynCorp, but Combat Service Associates are getting their fair share.
Let ’s start with DynCorp. DynCorp has been sucking up former KBR managers faster than they can be convicted. At this stage of the game I find it interesting that any company would be picking up any manager from a LOGCAP contractor that has so many civil suits, criminal convictions, ongoing criminal investigations, countless DoD investigations and who knows how many Congressional investigations. Who would want to bring that negative management style into their company. Although DynCorp is not new to management issues, at least what I saw and heard about when I was in the Green Zone from 2004-2006. DynCorp had a badging contract I believe for the Department of State (DoS) and one of their badging officers was selling/giving away DoS Badges evidently so people could use the DFAC and pool at the Republican Palace also known at that time as the US Embassy. Hmmm what’s the security issue there?
Here is a comment I received from a concerned DynCorp employee.
I have to tell you I made a big mistake in crossing over with DynCorp. There are several issue we have to deal with on daily basis. One, there are several employees that have not gotten paid for several weeks or months including myself. Dyncorp is a month behind in paying perdiems to employees that have no DFAC or means of getting any food. We all have to use our own money for most of everything even thought it says on the LOA’s that food is covered. Well that is if you do have a LOA.
Did you know that for a week or more there were a lot of employees that put 12hours
on their time sheet and stayed home because there CAT (CAC perhaps) Cards were not active even
thought they are not being scanned in at the ECP’s gate to get in. Just about everyone CAT Card is inactive after June 12 2009 the end of Task Order 147. There are a few that I know of that do not even have a CAT Card at all and is working on
the base and site.As far the Bus drivers they are TCN’s and they are driving with expired or no Identification at all, some employee are forced to rent there own car’s or pay for taxi to get to and from work. In most cases we are working over time and told that we cannot put this on our time sheet because Dyncorp does not recognize overtime unless approved. Supervisor and Foreman’s are making changes and corrections to employee’s time sheet without there knowledge after they have been signed and turned in.
Some employees are allowed to Hit, Threatened and Disrespect there fellow coworkers and nothing is being done about it. Victimized employees in most cases are too afraid to come forward and when they do they are threaten with termination or they get fired.
In most cases “Looks Like The Same KBR All Over Again”.
Here is a comment I received from a CSA employee.
CSA, Ltd. in Kuwait has nothing on KBR, you have employees that drive company vehicles with no Kuwait Driver’s License, change employee timesheets, and come to work on and go to college online everyday. She stills has a job. Now, CSA needs to be investigated, also.
The camp in question is KNB and the department MWR. The supervisor there goes home sick, but does not put sick leave down. The manager has committed timesheet fraud on various occasions and I have exact dates. they tell you that they need you to work OT, but when timesheet turn in comes around, they cross out the hours and put your initials down, without you knowing abut it until pay day comes around. U cant go to ER because the ER person is friends with the manager and supervisor.
What is going on with this changing of time sheets after that have been signed and submitted? What in the hell is this signing someone else’s initials? That timesheet is a legal document. Any lawyers in the house?
Here are my “recommendations”:
1. Use the reporting system in place even if it doesn’t work. Such as local Human/Employee Relations departments. Document…Document….Document. Use email only. This way if it ever goes to court, and it sounds like it will, you have a record. If someone responds to your email with a phone call or a face-to-face conversation, summarize the conversation in an email and send it to that person. I’d stat it something like this: “To follow-up with out recent (type of) conversation on (date) at (time) I just want to make sure I understand you correctly.” And then summarize the conversation. Ask them to resspond to the email if there are any corrections to your summary.
2. Contact the Ethic Hotline via email. Document…Document….Document.
DynCorp Ethics Hotline is: hotline@dyn-intl.com
CSA Ethics Hotline is not listed on their website. If you have that information send it to me so I can update.
3. Contact the DoD Inspector General. Even if it doesn’t get investigated immediately, the call gets logged. Maybe your call combined with other peoples calls paints a bigger picture for the DoD. I recently did a post on how to contact the DoD IG click HERE for that.
If my readers will send me Ethics Hotline information for their LOGCAP companies I will do a post of just that contact information.
If I were a betting person…..I would guess that CSA and DynCorp are knee deep in former KBR managers. This just sounds like same shit different company. And the DoD is letting it happen. And to top it all off those brilliant Generals that lead the DoD (and the LOGCAP contractors) are actually expecting a different result.
I guess I’m never going to run out of things to blog about.
Ms Sparky
ER is looking into comments that are posted to this website, Michele Espina aka Mary Jean Busgano who works CSA Military Travel and is a phillipine national, has been using an alias in Kuwait while working for CSA for a number of years. She is trying to get her name changed back to her name in the Philippines, by hiring CSA’s civilian attorney in Kuwait, Ernest Alexander.
FYI;
For every new hire who gets certified, CSA receives $160,000 from the government. They will do all they can to keep you here until you pass the certification. Afterwards, they don’t care.
I was lured here to get a secret clearance. I viewed it as a part of the employment package. After several weeks of being here, CSA claimed it would process the clearance, but there have been people here for more than two years who have not received theirs yet.
While working in the last month, I observed many policy violations (laptop use, phone use, sleeping, etc.) all in one day. As of right now, I don’t plan to do anything about it for I have a family to house and feed.
During training, the speed of the search was stressed. It appeared that speed was more important than the quality of the search. I have observed personnel “going through the motions” while searching vehicles.
Lastly, the only reason the ratings have been good to excellent is because when the “CSA quality control team” and the military quality control team are conducting their tests, the CSA personnel searching have a heads up as to when they are coming through hours in advance.
Most of the people here are in it for the money. Most of them (including myself) aren’t in a position to jeopardize their job because the money is good enough for what the job asks. What I despise is the culture of laziness that is promoted by some of the leadership, the constant, repeated threats of being suspended or fired and their “good old boy system” that favors African-Americans.
CSA,LTD…
Common
Sense is
Absent
or
LimiTeD….
Ms Sparky’s Resposne:
That’s funny!!
gents:
i just got email from CSA couple days ago for open position in kuwait, whats your guys suggestion, i never heard about this company
and basically what is the average salary?
thanks
The salaries are REALLY LOW. I just talked to a recruiter and the salary for Force Protection Officer starts at 14.93 per hour and taxes are held out of that. Doesn’t seem like much pay for such a dangerous job, but just my opinion. Good Luck.
The average salary is 30% below all other contractors salaries. Your FALA is 100 KD less then all other contractors. Living quarters are good. Transportation not bad, management sucks! This wage disparity includes workers at McDonald’s! No just kidding, Burger King actually!
I was hoping you would chime in!! Thanks
i have asked them, whats my monthly salary will be they never told me anything about it and just keep sending me email to fill out forms to hire. how can i get a job and dont know the salary?
i just want to know the average: 3000$-4000$ 5000$ approximately if anyone from you guys kknow
thanks!
I worked there until just before they started deductig for FICA/Medicare.(7.5%) My “bank” was $2200 every 2 weeks with another $450 in FALA deposited to your Kuwaiti bank account every 2 weeks as well, so call it $2650-$2700 minus &.5% every 2 weeks. You will always work six days a week, the figures they give you for the contract are based on a 5 day week. You will earn every penny and then some. The turnover is horrendous for a reason. HTH.
Thanks for that info!
So Ms Sparky, should this retired 58 year old retired Marine take the job with CSA as an FPO and expect I will get paid in a timely manner and in the amount stated by CSA? Thank you all for your time. Also, what is the comment about good ol boy and Afro-Americans. Are most the CSA employees Afro-Americans?
If you take the job be prepared for constant threats of suspension or write-up. Yes, there is a culture of laziness because the immediate supervisors are young, and do not correct their “friends” when they are wrong. An answer to your last question is yes. There is a large disparity between the number of blacks and whites in security.
Ms Sparky,
Hope you got the pictures I sent to and the captions for each one, I also sent them to CSA Management
Yes. I got them. They are interesting to say the least. I have a few questions I need clarify. I think those might need to go straight to the Department of Justice. This holiday weekend has me tied up. Shoot me an email first of the week.
Do you mind giving Puller58 some advice on reporting CSA activities. It’s on the CSA Raping the US Taxpayer post. http://mssparky.com/2009/10/combat-support-associates-csa-raping-the-american-taxpayer-from-kuwait/
No problem Sparky, it’s my civil duty.
Can anyone tell me about CSA ? I’m Compairing different companies that have security/police type jobs. How is CSA salary, living coditions, etc compaired to Dyn? I will be talking with a recruiter in a few days. Your help is greatly appreciated
As for security people, the apts. are generally nice to live in with everything furnished…(except this one place where they pay for the fuel to run their stoves). One or two roommates is the norm. As far as salary, work is five days a week now, and bobofthedesert explains it well.
What is FALA pay? Does everyone with CSA get this pay? Is the FALA pay the same for all positions or just certain positions?
If I am not mistaken it means Food And Living Allowance. Any CSA employees want to chime in on that?
Thanks for the info. Does this mean that I would have to pay for my apt and meals since CSA is paying FALA ? It would be nice to chat or email someone that works for CSA to get an idea of the cost, expenses and salary for FPO (Force Protection Officer). Any info can be e-mailed to me at ablawdog@yahoo.com or posted on this forum.
Thanks for everyone’s help.
FALA= Foreign Assisted Living Allowance
BTW all contracts do not receive this. My company removed it approx four years ago. I have been in contracting since 2005.
FALA is Foreign Assistance Living Allowance is paid direct to CSA employees from the Kuwait government. Almost every Filipino lady in Kuwait knows when all contractors get their bi-weekly FALA. Then you get hit up by them for a few KD to send home for medication for the sick pig or milk for the kids or grandma medication or some outragous reason to “BORROW” some OR ALL of your FALA. So, FALA you will hear is sometimes referred to as “FALAPINO”! On the day it is deposited into your account it is called, you guessed it “FALAPINO DAY”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FALA stands for foreign area living allowance. All Westerners (typically classified as personnel from North America or Europe)receive FALA. FALA is uniform no matter your position.
All Filippinos are also considered Westerners whether or not they are married to the Americans.
Filipinos are NOT considered western hire employees they are “local hires.” They are paid 65% of the western salary because they live on the local economy. They provide their own apartments, transportation and food. They do receive a bi-weekly FALA like all western employees do! Just look at their badges, it is “red bordered” and not white like a western hire, this is CSA policy and contract policy!
Correction “local hires” DO NOT receive FALA.
No you dont have to pay for your apt. Foreign Area Living Allowance just gives you money to buy food or whatever you want to do with it. You can eat in the DFAC for like 3 bucks all you eat.
Thanks for correcting me!
whistleblower, thanks for the response about the FALA. CSA web site indicates you don’t take your agility test until you get to Kuwait. IF this is true then what happens if you don’t pass. Does CSA pay for your trip back home or are you just SOL. Also, are CSA salaries lower than DYN, KBR.
If you don’t pass the agility test, then that is their reason to get rid of you. Of course, after you fulfill your 90 days!! All monies incurred by the company will become part of your last check deductions.
FALA is basically a 10 Kuwait Dinar per diem that every western hire gets every 2 weeks. Third country nationalist employees do not get this
Hey Carltheman,
I also applied for FPO. If you don’t mind me asking, what salary did they say you will start at. You can email me if your not comfortable posting salary on this forum. Would really like to ask you about some other things since you just went through CSA process. My email is ablawdog@yahoo.com
One thing to look at on your pay stub is the ‘other taxes’. the company doesn’t come out and tell you what it is you have to find out yourself. turns out to be California state tax and insurance according to payroll. they say it’s for unemployment purposes. the trouble with that is – if you are not a California resident you can’t fill for unemployment.
another thing. the instructions (or post orders) for a position are very vague – i.e. arms room guard is to guard arms room and do surveillance on the area of responsibility. problem here: there is nothing in writing that tells you what the area of responsibility entails. you have to ask the leadership – you would be surprised at all the different answers you get. I believe that csa does this so they can make up reasons to fire you. this way they don’t have to pay you the end of contract bonus. and they are finding more ways to fire people. with in the few months that i have been here there has been over 200 people that quit or was fired and i heard there is about 50 more leaving within the next 30 days.
I know of a few foreign nationals that work for CSA that receive and/or send mail through the U.S. postal services on military bases because they have permanent residency in the U.S. I can name names if needed but wont post the names on this website. alot of foreigners and TCN employees receive and/or send mail through the postal services on base which is illegal.
Hey Ms Sparky, et al. There is an article titled “ON BEING AN OVERSEAS ARMS CONTRACTOR”, in the January 2010 issue of SOF Magazine. It would be comic, if it wasn’t so true.
It’s by subscription. Soldier of Fortune is not one of the mags that I subscribe to!! I can’s read the article!
I really feel badly for those employees at CSA. If things are not bad enough there, they no longer have quality representation. A friend of mine there said some corporate goon (AECOM I guess)from HR pretty much destroyed the entire ER dept. She said the two most experienced reps, including the manager, recently bolted in short order; guess they got their fill of the dysfunctional executive leadership, leaving only two lesser qualified reps to cover camps in the N and S. Good luck with that Mr. AECOM. She said maybe Mr. Do Nothing(?) who handles fraud cases for CSA in Kuwait will step up and really start working instead of just being at work; that is, when he’s not on vacation.
Is it true that CSA is losing the Security Contract this coming summer (2010)?
The contract extension CSA currently has with the USG expires Mar 31, 2010; this includes the security services.
Just so we can set the record straigh CSA is not a LOGCAP contractor. They have a contract with US Government for base opearating services at the US Bases in Kuwait.
It is not subject too or the same as the LOGCAP contracts.
That is correct. On that we agree.
By the way, I have filed a whistleblower complaint against Combat Support Associates and CSA, LTD. with a major DC Law firm as my representative. I have to say not only are they ethically challenged – they don’t have any ethics at all. It may take years but I can’t wait to see those crooks go to jail.
Sail, so what. That wasn’t Sandrat’s question.
YES, on April 1, KBOSSS will take over. The leases for the apartments will run 3 years, so guess they plan on being around awhile. Great site by the way, sure alot of people have a beef with CSA and amazingly 99% of what I read is true.
Glad to have a job,
Are you saying that the KBOSSS contract has been awarded already to CSA? or is this speculation
What is KBOSSS?
Its the Kuwait Base Operations and Security Support Services Contract.
The contract has not yet been awarded.
Thank you DCAA. It never ceases to amaze me how so many people know what the USG does before they actually do it!
To Whistleblower:
Are you allowed to say who the attorney is that you hired? I have a claim with an agency in CA as well that has been ongoing. I am at the point now, I will be needing an attorney. I was thinking an attorney familiar with CSA might be a good idea.
If Ms. Sparky can give you my email address that wouldn’t be a problem.
I would love the name of that law firm too.
Thanks,
You are welcome Ray
The proposals for the KBOSS were due the end of Nov. Based on the complexity of the procurement it appears that CSA may receive an addition extension of one or two months. According to Rock Island the anticipated award date for the KBOSS is some time in late April or May at this point.
CSA is out!! Hopefully much sooner than people expect, and a true security firm. Audits and inventories are happening daily.
I meant a security firm with years of service and managers who follow policy.
UPDATE:
CSA is now down to one, uno, ER Rep. Yep, the latest departing rep who covered the northern camps turned in her notice. My friend said she heard some managers up north didn’t think she was worth much to begin with but hey, she was a body with a pie hole, right? That leaves one, uno, ER Rep to serve over 8000 employees. Thank you very much Mr. AECOM corporate HR dude. Who has pictures of you with a goat? You keep this up and that manager at CSA who does the fraud investigations will be hard pressed to take those vacations every time he gets some Kuwait sand in his shorts. God forbid, he might really have to start investigating cases and doing some factfinding. I must say, you serve the company well Mr. AECOM; very unfortunate its at the expense of those employees WHO ACTUALLY WORK FOR THE COMPANY! I can see it all now. Every manager in their respective departments now becomes their own ER department. Oh dear God, have mercy on those employees. Keep praying March 31 is the real end date for CSA.
Heard that they got extended until June 30. If anybody wants to start on a class action lawsuit, I prolly can make it happen
The class action lawsuit is in regards too? If the lawsuit is in regards to not receiving hazardous duty pay, being paid 30% less then contract negotiated salaries and being charged for fuel then count me in!
If you have an attorney lined up and want me to post something about it let me know.
I have one lined up, but folks have to have legitimate claims. I can be reached at (edited)@yahoo.com. I am returning to Kuwait on Sunday, so I can things started.
You are going to get super spammed if you publish your email here. If you want I can work up a post for you. Shoot me an email and tell me what you want in it.
Does anyone have info on mail clerk’s position with KBR. Is it a good company, good job, etc ? I’m going through the hiring process with KBR right now. Thanks
For Class Action Suit information for CSA employees click HERE
http://mssparky.com/2010/01/combat-support-associate-csa-employees-seek-class-action-in-kuwait/
I was terminated by CSA in 2007 after I was injured on the job, I filed a lawsuit in Kuwait against Al Ahlea Circle Cleaning Company, and CSA for wrongful Termination, they would have probably gotton away with this however I had a letter from the Ministry of Health saying I had sick leave for 1 month, and I got lawyer to take the case for free,,,,, I am still in Kuwait…
My advice to you, accept the job with CSA and when you arrive in Kuwait, immedietly send your Resume to all other contracting companies…. 7 out of the 12 people I came to kuwait with now work for other companies….. Good luck and stay away from the flips