Sick Leave TA, pilot pushing or no big deal?
Ok, so I originally posted this over in the "Why are you voting no" thread but since it was generating some discussion and is the such a high viz item for both pilots/mgt/MEC, I thought it may merit discussion on its own. Here is my original text:
Kinda surprised there isn't a separate thread for the SL provision alone...
This is the 1 issue that is giving me the most pause and reason to vote NO.
I remember being at the last roadshow and hearing a pilot detail a heart wrenching story of his wife being on the ground picking through a trash bag looking for his prescription bottle so he would have proof of his illness and he wouldn't get "in trouble" for being sick with the company.
There was another equally heartbreaking story about another pilots adult son with severe autism. His son had a major meltdown while said pilot was on his way to work. His wife called him, locked in the bedroom/bathroom crying and scared as he was tearing up their home. He turned his car around, went home and had to call in sick. When he tried to explain himself to the company, he was chastised and told he wasn't the one who was 'sick' and needed a psychiatrist to verify his sick leave usage due to his being mentally, rather than physically ill. Who the hell wants or needs to open that can of worms?
The bottom line is each of us is the expert on whether or not we are "fit to fly" when we sign the release. This SL policy is a subtle form of pilot pushing that is insidious and sinister. "just a hundred hours" says the union/company..."Just to deal with the abusers" (not sure I like hearing the union/co. label any of my peers as "abusing" anything after being bent over in BK anyways). "This won't affect 80+% of the pilot group" etc....all lame excuses to sell you down the river...There will be an unfortunate time for every pilot when you will feel the pressure of calling in sick and trying to figure out when/how you will get a Drs note. The Company needs to accept that there will be sick pilots and that accepting their word (even if there is some leakage around the edges) is far more productive than creating an atmosphere of suspicion and doubt.
I agree with others who have posted about the company coming for more with each TA, making SL more and more onerous. Why else would you need to "speak with a scheduler" and not be able to just click a button in DMBS stating "I'm sick" or "I'm well?"