Have any of the reservist on this site taken any flack from their airline for taking military absences while on probation? I understand the law, and that employers are required to allow military service, but they can make life difficult.

 

bulldozer, I`ve been checking every now and then to see if anyone answered your question. They haven`t, so I`ll make a stab at it. I`m gonna assume that you are (a) a new hire, who probably worked pretty hard to get your job and (b) you have been taking military leave, which you are certainly intitled to do and (c) your chief pilot has given you a bunch of crap for so doing. When I was a NavCad (that`s a navy cadet, an extinct item now) the flight instructors could issue a "headwork "down. That is, cause you to fail a flight for not using good judgement. In my opinion, anyone on probation should try and blend into the woodwork, and becoming unavailable because you want to go and fly with the Guard or a reserve squadron, even you are within your rights to do so isn`t using good headwork. Don`t make waves.Probably not the answer you wanted, but we live in the real world not the perfect one. This advice comes to you from someone has done both the military thing and the airline thing for about 40 years.

 

If you're talking a few days a month probably no a big deal. I have a friend who did a 6 week voluntary assignment in addition to the other drops and he was talked to by his in base CP. He is spending less time at the unit and more at the airline till probation is over now...do what you got to do, but be as anonymous as possible till off your probationary status. You could fail Chuck Yeager on a checkride if you were looking to!

 

Bull,
I've seen other traffic on these threads about this subject; not only do you need to be careful about how much mil leave, but when you take it as well. If you consistently need to take mil leave during holidays or for trip periods that are not everyone's favorite time to fly, you can get a bad name for yourself quickly.

If you are activated, that is a different story of course, but as others have already mentioned, appearances sometimes mean more than fact. (Much like the Air Force, don't you think? )

I'm retiring myself soon, good luck with your Reserve gig.

 

Take the mil leave on your off days if you can. Being on a first name basis with your CP while on probation usually is'nt a good thing.

 

Take Mil LV when you need it. Use your integrity. If any one gives you **** go to this site:http://www.esgr.org/ It's a Federal law that allows you to take leave to attend military duty.

 

I don't consider it mil leave if it's on my days off...I drop trips all the time(way past probation) and rarely have an issue...maybe twice in two years. Say the word USERRA and it magically goes away.

 

Listen to Slice. If you are in the first year, give them your mil leave as far out as possible. Make sure you don't go non current at the airline. This should alleviate anybody giving you the business.