The problem is, the company charges us X in negotiating capital for sick leave.

They then expect to actually pay out X minus [a lot] by making it as difficult as they can to use X.

This is where a striong union is required. We need to push back against the company short-changing us on a negotiated benefit.

The more the company harps in this, the more desperate (weak) they seem, and the more we realize we need to improve our contractual protections--not weaken them.