Sick leave abuse, the other kind.
 

We keep hearing about the small minority that supposedly abuses sick leave. I'd like to bring up the other side of the coin, pilots that fly sick.
As an 88 FO I put up with sniffling, coughing and sneezing captains for 10 long years. I took numerous colds home to be shared with my wife and daughter.

Well no more.

I'm posting notice of my sick personal sick leave abuse policy now that I occupy the left seat. Show up sick to fly with me and I'm having you pulled from the trip. No joke. No excuses.
Please make the call. BEFORE the trip. You aren't doing anybody any favors coming to work when you are not 100%. No your fellow crewmwmbers or your passengers.

I'm with you!

Wish the cabin crew would too.

I actually have flown with two captains over the last 8 years who had to visit an urgent care clinic on a layover. One was treated, and sent back to work. The other situation required DH a new captain to fly the return leg of an international layover. In both cases, I questioned why the captain even showed up for work.

Can I call in sick for the captain if they aren't well?

I agree with what you are saying but I will also say good luck with that when you end up with the interaction with the CPO. I had finally had enough of it, as an FO, when they broke up one of my four day trips and I got two Captains in a row that were on GS's but were also sick. They were just not going to pass on the money. I walked into the ATL CPO and talked to a Chief and the company line is that it is up the individual pilot to determine their wellness to fly. There is absolutely nothing that another pilot or the CPO can do if the pilot says he/she is well enough to fly. (funny how it doesn't work that way when someone calls in sick)

You carry one pen, one rectal thermometer or do you provide a full check up?

Don't know if things have changed, but years ago I had an FO who showed up obviously sick......coughing, sneezing, runny nose etc. I asked him to call in sick but he refused. I called the CPO and asked them to remove him. I got the same story. But then I said look......him or me. One of us is coming off this trip. They removed him.

I know It's tough, sometimes guys really are ok to fly. But when a pilot is obviously sick, he/she should be removed.

I agree. Twice this year when I've called out, its because Capt America I flew with the trip before had a cold and got me sick.

Just finished a two-day with the Captain hacking up a lung the entire trip. :confused: #awesomeness :mad:

It's that time of year again, 2 out of 4 of my kids are already sick and they are all coming home for Thanksgiving!

I told them to stay away, but of course they are coming to my house and spread their germs...I expect I'll have the crud by next Sunday, if not sooner, and I've got a trip on Monday. No worries F/O's, if I get what they have, I'll be calling in sick. My litmus test is,

"Do I want to fly with someone like ME??"

I told my wife I'd rather get a hotel room for she and I, order Chinese, and let the kids cook their own bird and destroy our house.

She said as long as they set it on fire before they leave, fine.

So...I got that going for me, which is nice!

Easy now...you might not ever go to work if you keep asking that. ;)

Is that why all my F/O's are on reserve? :eek:

Empirical evidence then suggests only Captains fly sick?

No, I think it's only pilots on GS fly sick! :eek::D

She sounds like a keeper...don't screw it up!! :D

they are also putting the fear of god to not call in sick for the new hires in indoc! thats the toughest sick call, while on probation, no union protection and mentors telling them if you can do it, try to do it.:(

Why on earth are they telling them that? Call in sick if you're sick. It's as simple as that. Probation doesn't last that long anyways. Most get off of probation before their first 9 month recurrent!

I had to call in sick in my first 6mo. with a nasty head cold/blocked sinuses. I didn't want to of course, but I was worried about bursting an eardrum, again.

Here's my recommendation; before you call crew sheds, call the Chief Pilot. Explain your situation, ask for his advice. It has been my experience that 99% of the guys in the CPO are going to support you, even on probation. The crew schedulers, not so much.

So call the CPO and let them know first, then ask them if they will call crew sheds for you, or if you should call.

But either way, do NOT show up for work if you are sick! You are not doing any one any favors! It is much easier for sheds to replace you before the trip begins, than in the middle of the trip after you've blown out an eardrum.

I'm recently off probation and I had to call in sick at about the 6 month point. I just called crew scheduling and they said, "I have you down as sick, let us know when you're well." It wasn't a big deal at all, nor did I expect it to be, but I also didn't buy into all the probation boogie man talk. Show up, don't suck, be a normal human being (I know, tough for some) and you'll be fine.

I did receive a call from the duty pilot, but it was very much a auto generated call for the first time you call in sick. Basically, he wanted to make sure that I knew I had to call in well.

Why call the CPO? That thought never even crossed my mind. I'm calling in sick, not asking to get out of a bid because I forgot to update my AE preferences!

good advice!

My experience was similar to crewdawg's. During probationary chief pilot meetings the CPs say that if you're sick then call in sick. The problem is they bring this topic up every meeting and talk far longer about sick call than anything else. It sends a mixed message.

It was enough for me to not call in sick while I was on probation. That said, I finally did call in sick shortly after getting off probation and scheduling was very professional, and I got nothing more than an automated email from the chief pilot office. Done and easy.

I don't blame guys on probation for not calling in sick, they really are receiving a mixed message. I then saw proof of the mixed message when signing in at ATL the other day. Obviously sick captain hacking away walks up to another captain and introduces himself as his LCA for an OE trip and claiming he's "on the back end of a cold". My @ss you're on the back end of a cold. The LCA probably got the upgrading captain sick, and the upgrading captain will join the ranks of "abusers". Nice cycle.

A little thread creep here. The biggest argument against being able to bank unused sick leave is that guys/gals will fly sick. Sounds like it is happening anyway.

Yes it does. BUT IMO it will be 10 fold if it has carryover value. Pilots will treat it like a 401k.

I am a mentor and don't tell my guys that.

Scoop

Ditto, in fact I've told my guys just the opposite. If you're sick, don't fly!

Why is this even an issue?

It's not.

It's a red herring dreamed up by management that they expected ALPA to pass in an effort to squeeze more blood from a stone(efficiency) out of the pilots.

The machiavellian maneuver by management and served to us by ALPA would have worked had the pilots voted yes. We didn't.

Unfortunately we are still discussing the merits of this red herring. It needs to stop.

We are currently under the sick leave program management "had to have". They can live with it.

I have moved as far as I'm willing to move on sick leave.

Disregard...


CG

Excellent post!! You hit the nail on the head.

I'm on vacation this week but I and the other 3 in my house are sick. I'm contemplating going to the Doctor tomorrow. Just costs so damn much for nothing but this thing has moved into my chest.

Happens twice a year around here, once when it goes from cold to hot to cold to hot to cold to hot in the Spring and reverse it in the fall. In Gawga, it's one or the other, very little transition.

You'd be doing your FO's a favor.

Never got sick flying with FOs that are sick and said they were on a GS or WS, just saying.:rolleyes:

I'm on vacation and sick, too. My son and I have a horrible cough. My wife thinks I need to go to quick care. She thinks I'm getting pneumonia. Sucks not feeling well on vacation. I doubt I'll get out of going to the in-laws for T-day though, no matter how sick I am.

At least I'm on my wife's BCBS insurance, so at least I have that going for me.

You mean it's not $180 to go to the Doc in a Box?

$10 copay, my brother. And the insurance is through her union. She's a waitress. My wife's servers union (Unite here) is more valuable to my family than ALPA, and I pay a lot more in dues than she does. She pays $30 month for a family of 4. But it's going up to $85 a month next year.

I'm glad those Mentors above are teaching our new hires correctly, but that was not the case for the individual I flew with.

It is amazing to me how many pilots are sick when you come to work. From the time you sign in, to the time you leave, all you hear is coughing, sneezing, and people blowing their nose. What's up with all the sick pilots? I know the company has scared a lot of guys into flying sick, but it is getting out of control. I bet 50% of the time of fly the other pilot has some type of cold.

I agree. The only time I actually get sick is when the other guy brings it to work.

All I see are short sleeve shirts, no horse blankets, no wonder you guys are sick. London Fog is still in business. Sheess.....

No hat, no landing.