"In my mind, having to get a doctors note when I called in sick in an insult to our personal integrity unless management has reason (and evidence) to document that you might not be sick"

I agree with this. It is quite embarrassing to ask your doctor for what they call a "work excuse" letter. It makes you feel like a child, asking Mommy or Daddy for a letter to bring to grade school.

I recently was "requested" to provide a letter for a sick call over peak, for a short trip that wasn't in conjunction with vacation, holidays, or over reserve. Apparently they have determined a certain percentage of us have made sick calls in the past that the computer program doesn't like, and every time we call in sick from now on, the computer will generate a demand for a doctor's letter. When I talked to the union, they said one of their grievances was for a pilot that had called in sick only four times in 25 years, and hadn't called in sick over reserve, holiday or near vacation. Who knows what the computer parameters are, calling in sick on a Tuesday? So those of you who feel comfortable because you think you don't hit their parameters....you have no idea of what the parameters are, and the next time you call in sick, you may have to provide a letter for all eternity.

Another pilot I know received an Advisory Letter purely because he never saw the email request for a doctor's letter. They considered just sending people an unacknowledged email as "notification", and since he never saw it and didn't provide the letter in time, he received a threatening letter on his doorstep. I think they changed it to a crew notification lately, but really, sending threatening letters because you missed an email? Probably buried under the stack of daily iPad emails.

Another point, when I asked my doctor to provide more details on the letter...ie that I had a sinus infection and was prescribed antibiotics (as it only said I was under his care and when I could go back to work), he said, "Absolutely not. It's none of their business, and it is illegal under privacy laws for me to give more details."

Needless to say, I'm pretty disgusted. I never cause any trouble and go above and beyond to get the freight there. If management is bringing on the ire of people like me, who are usually very happy and rarely complain.....they've lost us all.