Originally Posted by
EMBFlyer
At XJT, after 3 unexcused absences in a rolling 12 months, it triggered the Attendance and Reliability Program. It started with a verbal warning and could go all the way "Up to, and including, termination" (learn that phrase). However, if you brought in a Dr's note, the absence would be excused and not trigger the program.
At AA, we seem to be treated much better in that regard. The only time you need a Dr's note is after 14 consecutive days on a sick call. I've never been asked for a Dr's note or proof of anything when I've called out sick here...regardless of the day of the year.
Just to add to this as I also was at xjt when this doctor note policy came to be. The doctor’s note is a negotiated policy in the contract (came about through a unrelated group grievance that was settled). This is a contractual clause and not part of the FOM. It states that as long as you provide a doctor’s note for calling in sick, the absence doesn’t count as an attendance event per the Attendance and Reliability policy (which is in the FOM). The note must be from a medical professional and submitted on your next assignment. The Cheif pilot can request a doctor’s note for sick calls before or after company holidays or vacation. If you are asked to provide a note, the company pays for your costs of getting it.
If you don’t submit a note per the contract, the absence counts toward the A&R policy which states that in a rolling 12 months (365 days), you get a verbal warning on the 4th, written warning on the 5th, and termination warning on the 6th.
Each sick call can be as long as 14 days. However many assignments fall within those 14 days are all part of the same sick call and not counted as separate attendance events.
I have yet to hear of another contractually negotiated sick call clause as generous as this one.