Narrative:

Upon arrival we told them we were ready to board at 30 mins prior to departure time or earlier if all the passenger on connecting flts had arrived. They began boarding us with adequate time. They opened the jetway door to the ramp then sent the passenger down the jetway. They left the door unattended and several passenger were bringing carry-on bags to the cabin which I; as the captain; had to then carry back to the door. I want to compliment our flight attendant on not leaving the aircraft; even when the bags were really stacking up by the cabin door. After boarding up and loading bags; it was 15 mins prior to departure and they removed the jetway from the aircraft. I noted the manifest showed a passenger weight of 23 checked bags and we only had 18 checked bags; so I told them we will wait until 5 mins prior for the connecting checked bags and if any persons show up; to send them out to the aircraft. I showed 34 booked and we only had 32 on board. The station was confrontational in an unprofessional manner by throwing their hands up and laughing at the suggestion more passenger may arrive and we would wait until 5 mins prior to push no matter what so please send them out and load the bags when they show up. At 8 mins prior to departure; a woman arrived and so did more checked bags. They put the woman on and the checked bags only after I communicated to our pushback employee to go in and tell the gate agent to let the passenger out. Then my first officer went out to the cargo door and checked it in accordance with the MEL and we told the ground personnel not to open the door without telling us. We then taxied out as normal and were #1 for takeoff when we had an unrelated maintenance issue with the spoilerons. We pulled out of the departure line-up onto another taxiway and phoned maintenance control to try and work out the issue. Unable to clear the issue; we returned to the gate. Upon arrival; the ground personnel told me the cargo door was open when we pulled in. When we walked to the back to see if it appeared all the luggage remained on the aircraft it was clear all the baggage remained with the aircraft. I then asked them to count the bags checked and carry-on; and we would compare counts. In fact; at some point; the ZZZ ground personnel added bags and did not tell us after my first officer had already complied with the MEL. They then improperly closed the cargo door and at some point it opened. With the cargo door MEL we have no way of knowing if the door is opened or closed other than our final visual check prior to closing our main cabin door. Fortunately; we returned to the gate for another issue or upon takeoff there may have been compounded problems from baggage falling from our aircraft. The event occurred because of the inability of the ZZZ employees to listen to and take direction from the captain of an aircraft. The level of employee they are able to purchase for the current wage being paid is not enough to obtain a reasonable work force. Also; perhaps a sticker on the door handle is in order when there is an MEL; so that the ground personnel understand that we are unable to see them open and close the door. The station seemed very shocked and unaware that sometimes we can have an MEL that would allow us to not be able to see if they opened the door.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CRJ CAPTAIN REPORTS GND PERSONNEL FAILED TO COMPLY WITH RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED BY MEL DEFERRAL OF INOPERATIVE CARGO DOOR WARNING LIGHT. CITES INFERIOR QUALITY OF GND CREW AVAILABLE FOR LOW WAGES THE ACR OFFERS.

Narrative: UPON ARR WE TOLD THEM WE WERE READY TO BOARD AT 30 MINS PRIOR TO DEP TIME OR EARLIER IF ALL THE PAX ON CONNECTING FLTS HAD ARRIVED. THEY BEGAN BOARDING US WITH ADEQUATE TIME. THEY OPENED THE JETWAY DOOR TO THE RAMP THEN SENT THE PAX DOWN THE JETWAY. THEY LEFT THE DOOR UNATTENDED AND SEVERAL PAX WERE BRINGING CARRY-ON BAGS TO THE CABIN WHICH I; AS THE CAPT; HAD TO THEN CARRY BACK TO THE DOOR. I WANT TO COMPLIMENT OUR FLT ATTENDANT ON NOT LEAVING THE ACFT; EVEN WHEN THE BAGS WERE REALLY STACKING UP BY THE CABIN DOOR. AFTER BOARDING UP AND LOADING BAGS; IT WAS 15 MINS PRIOR TO DEP AND THEY REMOVED THE JETWAY FROM THE ACFT. I NOTED THE MANIFEST SHOWED A PAX WT OF 23 CHKED BAGS AND WE ONLY HAD 18 CHKED BAGS; SO I TOLD THEM WE WILL WAIT UNTIL 5 MINS PRIOR FOR THE CONNECTING CHKED BAGS AND IF ANY PERSONS SHOW UP; TO SEND THEM OUT TO THE ACFT. I SHOWED 34 BOOKED AND WE ONLY HAD 32 ON BOARD. THE STATION WAS CONFRONTATIONAL IN AN UNPROFESSIONAL MANNER BY THROWING THEIR HANDS UP AND LAUGHING AT THE SUGGESTION MORE PAX MAY ARRIVE AND WE WOULD WAIT UNTIL 5 MINS PRIOR TO PUSH NO MATTER WHAT SO PLEASE SEND THEM OUT AND LOAD THE BAGS WHEN THEY SHOW UP. AT 8 MINS PRIOR TO DEP; A WOMAN ARRIVED AND SO DID MORE CHKED BAGS. THEY PUT THE WOMAN ON AND THE CHKED BAGS ONLY AFTER I COMMUNICATED TO OUR PUSHBACK EMPLOYEE TO GO IN AND TELL THE GATE AGENT TO LET THE PAX OUT. THEN MY FO WENT OUT TO THE CARGO DOOR AND CHKED IT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE MEL AND WE TOLD THE GND PERSONNEL NOT TO OPEN THE DOOR WITHOUT TELLING US. WE THEN TAXIED OUT AS NORMAL AND WERE #1 FOR TKOF WHEN WE HAD AN UNRELATED MAINT ISSUE WITH THE SPOILERONS. WE PULLED OUT OF THE DEP LINE-UP ONTO ANOTHER TXWY AND PHONED MAINT CTL TO TRY AND WORK OUT THE ISSUE. UNABLE TO CLR THE ISSUE; WE RETURNED TO THE GATE. UPON ARR; THE GND PERSONNEL TOLD ME THE CARGO DOOR WAS OPEN WHEN WE PULLED IN. WHEN WE WALKED TO THE BACK TO SEE IF IT APPEARED ALL THE LUGGAGE REMAINED ON THE ACFT IT WAS CLR ALL THE BAGGAGE REMAINED WITH THE ACFT. I THEN ASKED THEM TO COUNT THE BAGS CHKED AND CARRY-ON; AND WE WOULD COMPARE COUNTS. IN FACT; AT SOME POINT; THE ZZZ GND PERSONNEL ADDED BAGS AND DID NOT TELL US AFTER MY FO HAD ALREADY COMPLIED WITH THE MEL. THEY THEN IMPROPERLY CLOSED THE CARGO DOOR AND AT SOME POINT IT OPENED. WITH THE CARGO DOOR MEL WE HAVE NO WAY OF KNOWING IF THE DOOR IS OPENED OR CLOSED OTHER THAN OUR FINAL VISUAL CHK PRIOR TO CLOSING OUR MAIN CABIN DOOR. FORTUNATELY; WE RETURNED TO THE GATE FOR ANOTHER ISSUE OR UPON TKOF THERE MAY HAVE BEEN COMPOUNDED PROBS FROM BAGGAGE FALLING FROM OUR ACFT. THE EVENT OCCURRED BECAUSE OF THE INABILITY OF THE ZZZ EMPLOYEES TO LISTEN TO AND TAKE DIRECTION FROM THE CAPT OF AN ACFT. THE LEVEL OF EMPLOYEE THEY ARE ABLE TO PURCHASE FOR THE CURRENT WAGE BEING PAID IS NOT ENOUGH TO OBTAIN A REASONABLE WORK FORCE. ALSO; PERHAPS A STICKER ON THE DOOR HANDLE IS IN ORDER WHEN THERE IS AN MEL; SO THAT THE GND PERSONNEL UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO SEE THEM OPEN AND CLOSE THE DOOR. THE STATION SEEMED VERY SHOCKED AND UNAWARE THAT SOMETIMES WE CAN HAVE AN MEL THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO NOT BE ABLE TO SEE IF THEY OPENED THE DOOR.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 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.