What I love most is how ALPA is trying to spin the sick leave changes. Here is a quote form their Face Book page:

"What is Delta Health Services?
The new agreement requires that all verifications of sickness be submitted to a newly-created, Health Services Department at Delta. This removes the Chief Pilots’ Office from the verification process and helps to maintain confidentiality by ensuring that confidential medical information is accessed by as few people as possible. Delta currently has a Director of Health Services (DHS) and this agreement makes no change to that. He will be tasked with administering Delta Health Services which will oversee the verification of sickness process."

Improvement to privacy???? This is a glaring example that illustrates the complete lack of honesty from our union. The TA allows the company to access your medical records whenever they choose after the verification threshold. Read the language carefully. Once you cross the the verification threshold the company can require a medical release if "DHS is not able to assess the medical basis for the use of sick leave." I used a sick call this year for an issue which I went to the doctor for. I got a sick note from the doctor just to cover my back side even though I was no where near the 100 hour mark. The note from the doctor says " XXX is under my care and should not return to work until X" With the new TA the DHS just has to decide that this does not provide enough information to access the medical basis for the sick leave. I either give them access to my medical records or go back to the doctor and have him write another note weeks after the fact on my own dime - great.

Once you cross the medical release threshold they can ask for access to your medical records with no cause needed.

I understand that the medical release is limited in scope the days surrounding the sick instance. The problem, as already posted, is that those medical records may also contain information not related to the sick occurrence - loss of privacy!

The TA significant expands the instances in which a pilot has to grant the company access to their medical records. To say otherwise both insults my intelligence and makes me question the honesty of the people making the claim. I completely understand that there may be a difference opinion on whether this is important enough to reject the TA and I have no problem with someone who looks at this and says they aren't concerned. I think they would be wrong but so be it. What I do expect is open and honest communication from the union I pay to represent me. Have enough respect for us to speak about it honestly and then let us decide.