RetiredFTS

This idiot used 62 hrs sick leave last year(highest year btw) and will vote NO on this TA for sick leave changes, among others.

Purple Drank

I just watched Donatelli's latest video. Wow. He's trying way too hard.

The pay graph he hangs his hat on cherry picks 777 captain pay. By my count, we have 282 of nearly 13,000 pilots at that pay level (744s being parked). But that's what DALPA is using to sell this TA.

It's infuriating. Let's send this POS back and get to work on a contract that represents our wishes.

NERD

The only person trying harder to sell this than Donutbelly is his wife on the FB page.

satchip

LOL, you're in that group too? I hope we are not in an echo chamber and are convincing ourselves that everyone hates this turd and will vote no.

badflaps

If that is true, what skin does she have in the game?... Maybe a better job for daddy?

JungleBus

I have averaged about 1 sick call per year during my 12 years at the airlines, with the exception I'll relate below. I feel strongly about the right to call in sick without reprisal, as it was hard-won fight that continues at some airlines. I dislike people who abuse that right and endanger it for us all. However, I equally dislike managers who are so hellbent on stopping all sick leave abuse that they end up harassing far more legitimately sick people than abusers. When they have enablers in the union, that's even worse.

I think there are a lot of younger, healthy guys that don't give sick leave policy, LTD, etc a second thought. I was a young, fairly healthy guy that didn't give it much thought either until I had several episodes over a 2-year span that resulted in several missed trips, including once when I had to deadhead home from an overnight doubled over in pain. It went undiagnosed on one doctor's visit and was misdiagnosed on another. Then I sat in a Doctor's office with my wife, at 32 years old, being told I had a chronic, incurable disease that disqualified me for an FAA medical. Well, I got lucky. My case was relatively benign, my symptoms faded immediately thanks to some rather expensive medicine that I'm still on, and ALPA Aeromedical was superb in helping me get a special issuance medical in under 4 months. I had a very good chief pilot who ran interference with my regional airline's crappy HR department that tried to make my life more difficult. I came back to the line with a renewed appreciation for my job and more knowledge than I ever cared to have about AMEs, OK City, HMOs, medical billing, UHC, sick leave, FMLA, ALPA Loss of License insurance (get it, I didn't have it), and short-term and long-term disability.

And I started noticing something. Our FAs, who were without a contract at the time & had just voted in AFA, were being harassed regularly by the company for sick calls and even OJI. This was nothing new - they'd been terminating flight attendants for sick calls for years, one the day after a 3rd-trimester miscarriage - but the methodology was new. They were requiring FAs to go down to St Louis on their days off to see a company doctor for "verification" before being returned to the line. This company doc was a really sketchy operation in a strip mall a short cab ride from the airport. FAs would show up there, and the doc would have no record of the appointment, and say we can't fit you in (witness the 20 women with screaming babies crammed into the waiting room) and send them back up to MSP. One friend (sprained wrist, OJI in turbulence) had to go down there 3 times over 2 weeks before her manager gave up and returned her to the line without verification. She said a lot of the FAs subject to this just quit. Their fate was well known on the line, and far more FAs just worked sick. As a CA, I twice had FAs show up for trips puking in the lav every 10 minutes. What could I do, force them to go home where they'd get canned? Mind you, they'd have a fantastic court case...but in 6 years there, I'm not aware of a single $13-18/hr FA that sued.

This is obviously an extreme example. Delta is not a [Delta Connection ] regional, we are not FAs, we have a union and a certain amount of FAA protection. But this raises the point: there absolutely are people in airline management who are so determined to cut down on sick leave that they'll do really abhorrent shiat to good, honest people. We don't want to even open the door to this here. If that means some sick leave abusers get away with their scam, so be it.

NERD

She is/was a Delta pilot. On LTD, and very pleased with the changes to that sectionrolleyes: I have no idea when she was hired or how many years she flew the line.

tim123

Was told by 2 alpa lec reps that they wanted to put out cons and mec said no.

tim123

Yesterday lec rep said look back 3 years starts right away.

JungleBus

There is nothing in TA that says look back only goes to June 1 2015. It was announced today by MEC comm on FB that the company just decided it. See, they're already budging to sell this stinker .