Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure; Human Factors; Staffing
Weather was across ZID and ZDC resulting in increased traffic at ZOB. This was covered at the afternoon weather briefing. I came back from break and went to work at GAM D-Side. Soon after I was told by the supervisor to close the D-Side and let ECK-R training team go and combine GAM with ECK. All evening GAM had been open and busy; ACL showing 15-25 aircraft most of the night. When this decision to combine was made; there were 18 aircraft in GAM ACL. I felt it was too busy to combine but the supervisor wanted the training team to de-brief. We worked ECK and GAM combined and it was busy. Later the supervisor told my D-Side to combine it up. I objected; stating I needed a D-Side; especially after a long busy night. I was told that the D-Side needed to go home and that the supervisor would help me if I needed anything. He plugged a hand set in the D-Side and made and received hand offs for me. After ten minutes of this someone came back from break and sat with me and worked my D-Side. This combination of events would never happen in the middle of a shift; yet seems to be acceptable to at the end of shifts. It is unacceptable and unsafe. Keep sectors open when they need to be. A supervisor should not be working as Area Supervisor and D-Side at the same time. Supervisors should not approve leave at the end of evening shift when late traffic is going to be increased. Supervisors must understand that as the shift comes to an end the controllers are tired.
ZOB Controller described an unsafe condition when a supervisor elected to close a D-Side position to accommodate controllers leaving the shift. The reporter noted that this would not have happened during other time/traffic periods.