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Old 10-09-2015, 07:45 AM
  #7  
Klondike Bear
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Joined APC: Nov 2010
Position: Stretch DC-9 Gear Slinger
Posts: 615
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Because it was out of line with the industry usage rates.
Why is that?
One possible explanation is that some pilots are calling in sick when they are not. Why should you care?
1. If sick leave hadn’t been an issue the TA probably would have passed. It was and it didn’t. We are now paying for it financially as mentioned previously. However, I’d like to discuss something significantly more important than what we’ve lost financially.
2. Why “significantly” more important? Because sick leave abuse is a symptom of a lack of integrity among a small group of pilots. A lack of integrity within a group left unchecked will grow. Many of you have told me that this is not our problem, or that Delta should “go after” the abusers and leave the program unchanged.
Let’s unpack these two sentiments.
First, the idea that this is not our problem: Organizations that allow a lack of integrity to grow within a small group will find it metastasizing into more and more areas of the operation. This leads to a toxic work environment, which leads to declining morale, which leads to declining performance, which leads to lower revenue and increased costs, which leads to declining compensation. It would lead to increased turnover and the resultant loss of experience and increased training costs in most industries, but not here.
Why not here?
Because our compensation is based in large part on our seniority. If seniority wasn’t a factor in your compensation, would you stay at a company where a cultural lack of integrity was allowed to grow unchallenged? I would not and I know from my days as a Squadron Commander that most other people would not either.
By way of example, when I took command of my Air Force unit the retention rate for first term airmen was 15%. By the time I left, retention was 90%. Why? I changed the culture that previously rewarded people for behaving badly and failed to hold them accountable when they didn’t show up for work, to one in which those who performed were promoted and given increased responsibilities and opportunities.
Second, let’s look at the idea that Delta should “go after” the abusers and leave the rest of us alone. How do you define an abuser? Do we want Delta to arbitrarily start firing pilots because their sick leave usage looks “fishy” or to require random sick leave verifications based on their “hunch” that a guy is abusing it? The TA was structured to provide an industry leading benefit, but required that some evidence be provided at some trigger point to ensure that sick leave usage was for being truly sick. The
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