I can understand all the gauges and switches, but why is the noose colored green?

 

Interesting. I went to that site (US Dept of Health and Human Services) and it had a section specifically about HIPAA and how it relates to your employer asking you for a doctor's note. Here's what it says:

I'm no rocket scientist, but after reading that and some additional information on HIPAA, it sounds like the only way any of this would ever remotely even get close to a HIPAA violation would be if Delta went to my doctor directly and asked for my medical information and in turn my doctor gave that information, VFR direct, to Delta without first getting my permission. I don't see anything that prevents a doctor from giving me my medical information that I am requesting from him nor anything that prevents me from giving that information to anyone. I'm am by no means a fan of our sick verification, but the cry of HIPAA violation seems to be baseless.

How many people are in the department of pilot leaves? A department sounds like a big group, but I thought it only has like 3 people.

 

Wonder if it was a form letter copied and pasted as rhetoric response. That's been my experience at least when writing my congressman/senator. Unfortunately, these middle eastern carriers have a lot more money to throw at Washington than we do. Ultimately money is the only thing these "leaders" of ours seem to listen to. Hopefully enough congressional members will look to the side of reason and prevent long term damage to our industry for a measly short term gain to Boeing. I've finally started contributed to the PAC because this is one issue I completely back them on.

One thing to ponder is the affect these middle eastern carriers will have on our pilot shortage if they begin basing pilots here. I could see a lot of skilled professional pilots jumping ship for emirates/ethiad if pay and qol are better than domestic carrier contracts. Hopefully that translates to better gains for pilots, but I'm done wishing in one hand.

 

Carl good deflection but once again when presented with a fact instead of staying on point you deflect.

I am glad you know so much about me without knowing anything about me. I am not dyed in the wool ALPA as you state. Once again I was an early card signer for DPA but TC and the action of a few other supporters turned me off to DPA. I know it is easy to throw a stone and say that I must be an ALPA loyalist but the truth is I am just not a believer in DPA and it's leadership.

 

+1

DPA would need to drastically change it's tone for me to entertain them as an adequate replacement to ALPA.

 

Jed-
I agree with your interpretation.
The sick leave verification program is not a HIPAA violation.
We "voluntarily" authorize our doctors to provide information to Delta.

The problem is that its not really voluntary under most people's definition of the word. At least not on an individual basis. Our company and our union have entered into a contract which coerces you to give up your privacy rights or lose your job.

They can do that. Its not illegal. ALPA is our collective bargaining agent. We elected them and we have authorized them to enter into such agreements on our behalf. I wish they wouldn't have done it, but what's new? There are a lot of things I wish they wouldn't do.

Hopefully we will have a new Master Chairman next week who won't be quite so "constructive".

 

The green noose is the O2 hose. The really amazing thing is we're STILL flying around with that Apollo 13-esque system on the -9. We will finally leave the 1960's here on January 7th, after the last flight.

 

Nah, we still have the Delta IT department.

Carl

 

It's not a noose. They don't use a hangin' rope anymore, this is obviously a 1950s lethal injection machine and that hose is a part of the intravenous injection tube.

Those handles at the bottom are used to release sodium thiopental, pancuronium bromide and then potassium choloride in that order (according to wikipedia). Note the Californian Communist blue color of the whole machine. It's obviously a death trap.

The neat thing is that whoever invented this death trap also used the crossfeed switches from the MD-88.

 

Just as a reminder to all, this is the biannual Douglas appreciation month.

I'll start.