The Crew Resources monthly letter used to be the best update we got every month. I always looked forward to the insights about bidding/fleets/hiring etc. It was a great source of information. Now the new guy has about 2 sentences that summarize the last bid (stuff everyone already knows) then 3 pages of graphs on sick leave.

That monthly letter is now a total and complete waste of my time to read.

 

There is one factor in CR's sick leave usage charts that I don't see being addressed; the change in schedules since 2011 and the impact of Part 117, especially during the holiday seasons.

During Dec, 2014, my schedule consisted of back-to-back 4-day trips, one day at home, then back-to-back four day trips into Jan, 2015. My other "off days" were on my layovers. It was brutal. The 2015 holiday wasn't quite as bad; back-to-back 4-days, one day off, another 4-day, two days off, then a five day (as an aside, the last day of the 5-day was blocked at 8:20, and the longest break was 46 min.). However, on the second day of the first trip, I woke up with an eye infection. It took ten days to resolve and be able to see clearly, which included five trips to the eye doctor - one on Christmas day, to get the obligatory note. Over 50 hours of sick time used for one ailment.

True, I could bid better, but I'm at 61% on my category's seniority list. Not a whole lot of power to bid a good schedule. The combination of PBS and 117 makes it more likely to use way more sick leave than in the past. And the ATL 717 trip mix doesn't help (almost exclusively 4-day trips). The way a lot of those trips are constructed doesn't help either, starting with late show times on the first day then transitioning to early departures on the last, with 5-leg last days not uncommon.

The graph that CR uses appears to be a bit misleading, too, in its presentation of the data. It shows the actual usage of sick time being 1.9% higher than what was predicted during 2013/2014 (I'm just using the year with the biggest change). It looks like a big change, on the graph. The actual number increase of pilots using sick time, assuming 12000 pilots during that period, is 228. So 228 more people used sick leave than was predicted. I think it would be useful to see why 228 more pilots, out of 12000+, used their sick leave benefit.

There is so much more involved in sick time usage than just age. Until there is an analysis done by a completely independent entity, using all the factors involved in sick leave usage, we will be at logger-heads with the company on this issue.

 

Sick leave is the scapegoat to get us to work more.

They won't/can't make the rotations more efficient because of marketing's obsession of a different fleet each day of the week for the same flights, thus causing 30+ hour domestic layovers.

Another thing is the greater number of female new-hires in their child bearing years. Lot's of time missed when they aren't flying the last couple of months prior to and after delivery.

Also, the large amount of new-hires from the military still in the guard or reserves vs a fully retired military pilot.

Looks to me that they want the rest of us that don't have these options, to pick up the slack with high ALVs and get surprised that after months on end of flying 80+ hours per month and no way to trade days or drop because of capped days, guys bang out sick.

Finally, if there is a spike in May, why not change the sick bank renewal to hire date. It would smooth out the spikes. Makes perfect sense if someone needs an elective surgery to hold off until May. Imho, a large percentage of the alledged spike could be eliminated by going to hire date.

Rant Over

 

I'm always sick in May. And April. And October.

It's called allergies. They kick up at seasonal changes. I'm fine in the winter and summer.

 

The "data" is going to show what they want it to show as long as they are the ones making the graphs.

Why in the world would they want to add the data showing the effect of Age 65, FAR 117, 5-day domestic trips, higher ALV's, and guys electing to do major medical events right before their sick time bank resets? That would make it not look as bad as they want it to look.

 

They also failed to account for state sick usage.

The CR updates are highly disingenuous--to the point of being flat-out lies.

 

Maybe they are running out of material/statistics/graphs-for-laughs to perpetuate the sick leave myth which might explain why the March letter isn't out yet....

 

I think they relief on DALPA Moaks to make those graphs and rewrite sick leave programs.

 

I figured out a way for those graphs not to bother me:

1- Don't read them
2- Play golf in the 74F weather we had here today in Vegas.

 

Completely agree. Isn't much in the way of interesting information anymore.