I'm glad you brought it up J29, I was hoping someone would quote the contract.

I was caught unaware of the 15 -calendar days- thing, I thought it was 15 flying days. You could call in sick for a 1 day trip, forget to call in well for 15 days, and you'd have to provide a Doctor's note. I think that's just stupid. Make it Duty Days vs. Calendar Days.

The CP I spoke with was very nice to me when I explained my situation. He said I wasn't alone and that most guys are not aware of the required Doctor's Note, and that you can print it out off DL NET.

In the future, as soon as I get the sniffles and a sore throat, I'm going to

1. call in sick

2. print out that note

3. take it to my Doctor, have him fill it out

4. wait until I'm very, very, very well, before I return to work.

We get 300 hours now, right?

What is this "Good Faith" phone call you are talking about, and who gets it?

 

Timbo, I'm curious, did the company pay for you to see a doctor to get a doctor's note (downloadable) signed? And when you went to see the doctor was she able to give the company the documentation they wanted? To cut to the chase: it sounds like you didn't mean to, but incurred this requirement because you waited 15 days to call in well, and so you went to see the doc...but then when you saw her you were no longer sick. So how was the doc able to sign off on your being sick if she wasn't able to witness your condition at the time of said sickness (unless you did go see her earlier when you were sick)?

Sorry for the long winded inquiry...I'm just thinking about how this would go with my doc if I was in that situation.

GG: (calling scheduling) Fellas, sorry, I'm sick.
Scheduling: OK, (sure you are) call us when you're well.
GG: (trying to call scheduling 4 days later) [ring ring--no answer] They're swamped, poor guys. I'll call tomorrow.
GG: (10 days later) Hey, scheduling, I'm better now.
Scheduling: OK
CPO: Hey, GG, we need a doctor's note.
GG: Doc, I need a note saying I was sick.
Doc: You're not sick.
GG: Well, that makes sense because I feel good. By the way, I'm writing a check today because the full amount you charge me is being paid by my employer.

 

Gunship Guy, I was in uniform, signed in for my trip, when I went to the CPO to ask W. T. F was with that phone call and required note?

He told me about the need for a Doctor's Note due to the 15 day calendar thing. Well, of course I was well by then, so I asked what was I to do? He made a phone call and said, "Consider yourself educated."

No Doctor's note, but no harm, no foul, just know for the next time.

I was going to offer to go see their doctor and sick out of the trip I had just signed in for...

 

That is correct. Timbo did not receive a 'Good Faith' call based on what he posted. Some additional pertinent contract language:

14 F.1.c. - A pilot will notify Crew Scheduling upon becoming aware that he is well.

14 A.16. - “Sick occurrence” means the period between the time a pilot calls in sick and the time that he calls in well.

2 A.63. - “Day” means calendar day.

 

You get a note from your doctor and for general nature of the sickness it states something like 'patient reports having had xxxx symptoms, consistent with yyyy(sickness) on zzzz(dates).'

Since the pilot would have to go to the doctor to get the note required, he/she should pay for the cost of getting the note without processing through insurance, get a detailed receipt and submit the expense in iCrew for reimbursement under Section 14 F.5.

 

Can some one tell me the difference between a "Coverage Pairing Award" and a "Regular Pairing Award"? Same goes for "Coverage Reserve Day Award" vs a "Regular Reserve Day Award." In PBS Notepad 13-04, it says they all come out on a monthly bid award.

 

Thanks, Timbo. Glad to hear rationality ruled.

Thanks...makes sense the way you spell it out. But it does remind me of the mentality of the AF and how it would play out. Sometimes someone would be able to step in and say, "Stop it--this is stupid." Unfortunately, that wasn't all that often.

 

A good faith basis call would typically not be tied to a 15 day or 100 hour verification requirement as that pilot is already required to provide sick verification to the company. As an example to answer your question, the pilot who calls in sick and then travels via jumpseat on another carrier (the company would know since CASS pinged the Delta system to verify employment) without first getting permission from his Chief Pilot would likely get a good faith basis call. Also, a pilot that calls in sick and then posts on Facebook about the great outdoor physical activities he is enjoying with old friends he hasn't seen in years while visiting out of town relatives during the same time frame could generate a good faith basis call. The company would then have a reason to question the pilot's use of sick leave which is not solely based on the amount of sick leave used or the frequency of sick occurrences for that pilot.

I think most of us would say that no pilot is out of touch enough to actually do that, but unfortunately that is not the case. It is my understanding that less than 0.5% of the pilot group has gotten a good faith basis call.

 

I agree completely.

 

Coverage awards are what we previously referred to as unstacking. If a pilot is junior in category over Christmas for example, they could be designated for a coverage award and be awarded a pairing or on call days over Christmas (while trying to honor preferences in the bid group) right out of the gate before their bid group is processed. A good description begins on page 58 of PBS Gouge 13-4.