Originally Posted by
Pineapple Guy
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How do you figure? Our language was NOT loosened; it was tightened up. Here's the old language:
1 F. 2
The Company may require that a pilot verify his sickness by providing, at the Company’s option, either:
- a doctor’s certificate, or
- other proof of illness.
Under normal conditions, the Company will not require verification unless the pilot has been absent for more than seven consecutive days.
And here's the new:
Verification of sickness under Section 14 F. 2. is required when:
- a pilot has used more than 100 hours of unverified sick leave in a sick leave year, or
- a pilot has been absent on a single sick occurrence for 15 or more consecutive days.
When individual circumstances exist that give the Company a good faith basis to inquire regarding the medical reason for a pilot’s use of sick leave, such pilot may be required to state the nature of his illness in general terms to his Chief Pilot. Following such discussion, the Chief Pilot may:
- consider the current sick leave occurrence to be verified, or
- require verification of sickness from the pilot under Section 14 F. 2.
This has already been covered multiple places, but HIPAA absolutely DOES permit an employer to request some proof of your illness. Think about it -- the alternative is an employee just comes to work whenever he feels like it. HIPAA laws are primarily designed to protect you from having a doctor share your information
without your permission to a 3rd party.
Whatever the prior language was, we grieved the abuses and won. Then we gave them a newly agreed to blank check. Let's wax philo on what *could* be cosidered "suspicious" shall we:
Any sick call that:
*touches a holiday...any holiday (there's almost one every month, more if you include Superbowl, KY derby, Daytona 500, World Series, NBA/NHL finals, heck even soccer, athough I suppose we'd win that grievance since its not a real sport but you never know)
*touches a regular day off that touches a holiday (or any other "special days" someone could think of)
*touches vacation or a long period of regular days off (extending one's vacation?)
*touches a period many days on interrupted by only a few or one days off (sickation?)
*touches a weekend (?)
*occurs in the summer (?)
*the sick caller "sounded suspiscious" when calling in sick to scheduling? (hey, if not, why not? after all its not up to us its up to an arbitrator)
*occurs just prior to, or just after, a training footprint
*occurs during bad weather
*occurs in conjunction with flight cancellations which could imply a commuting issue
*occurs over previous attempts to drop/trade/bid days off
*anything else that anyone could simply say was "suspiscious"
And bonus: no HIPAA privacy rights.
Now take that list above and try and sandwich a sick anywhere on your schedule that doesn't bump up against one of those.
So saying you get 100 hours of unverified sick time, but turning around and saying the company can make you verify it at their sole discretion anytime they want for anything they want as long as they say they want to, well, come on. Just come on.