Does the new system seem like a huge invasion of privacy, and an infringement on our personal rights? Our union signed off on this? I assume this was another loss on our part?

Discuss...

Read the grievance settlement, it sounds like the company might be making their policy sound as threatening as possible for the scare factor. But it sure ain't what was in the contract.

So....you see your doctor and he/she writes a note that is not detailed enough for the PAC / Fleet Management / Company Doctors (any or all) - WTF do you do now?

Go back to the doctor and say: "Put some more sh!t in that there letter about my personal medical problems so I can use my sick leave."

Looks like Fatigue calls are going to increase. Don't need a letter for that one. If I get a severe case of "Ball Rash" - it will probably keep me from sleeping properly. I'd rather go that route than send a doctors note with a picture of my glowing red junk.

Cannot believe the Union signed off on this.

I really think this whole thing about my doctor disclosing all my sexually transmitted diseases will put me into emotional jeopardy for about 686 hours of sick time!

From the HIPAA website:

Requests from your employer
Your employer can ask you for a doctor’s note or other health information if they need the information for sick leave, workers’ compensation, wellness programs, or health insurance.

However, if your employer asks your health care provider directly for information about you, your provider cannot give your employer the information without your authorization unless other laws require them to do so.

Generally, the Privacy Rule applies to the disclosures made by your health care provider, not the questions your employer may ask.

See 45 C.F.R. §§ 160.103 and 164.512(b)(1)(v), and OCR's Frequently Asked Questions.

For employer issues, contact:

Department of Labor: (866) 4-USA-DOL
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: (800) 669-4000

My question:

Can the employer force you to give them detailed information if you don't want to?

They're not forcing you, they're just not paying out the sick time. I'd have to go reread the FCIF, but I believe it specifically says that if you can't/won't provide a sick note there is no discipline involved. You just lose the pay for the trip and the hours get restored to your sick bank. Basically, you just dropped the trip for no pay.

So...they aren't going to pay us anymore, but we won't face discipline for it. Big Win!!

In other words, they are denying the use of an negotiated and earned benefit. In this case, a benefit negotiated away.


The FAA's own "IMSAFE" Personal Checklist, which we can find on the first page of the ALPA Pocket Calendar, is more comprehensive than the absence of illness or injury. Under this Sick Tracking System, a mechanism NOT found in our CBA and NOT ratified by membership vote, only illness or injury are considered. Any pilot who is evaluating his own state of health, welfare, and suitability to work will now have to consider how the doctor might word the sick note and whether the pilot can afford the hit to his paycheck. Whatever situation the pilot finds himself in will then be exacerbated by the additional STRESS of having to choose between going to work when he is NOT physically and mentally safe to fly or exposing personal information to a doctor not of his own choosing and taking the chance his Chief Pilot will not be satisfied with his decision and then reduce his paycheck.

Do you want the guy sitting next to you to be there because he can't afford a reduced paycheck, despite the fact he is not in some way not fit to fly?

Pilot pushing.

Not safe.






.

Funny how it takes months or even years to implement any "programming" that benefits the pilot group. It when it is in their best interest a system can be set up in a matter of days.

I cannot belive the union signed off on this. WTF were they thinking?

We lose over and over again. I can't wait until they dork up our retirement.

I will submit an FSR every time I call in sick. I will mention that I did not meet one of the IMSAFE parameters, and that FedEx no longer recognizes the government mandate for pilot self monitoring. Once the FAA gets a few thousand FSR's we might get some relief.

I'm in for $100. Lets all pull together, and retain a HIPAA lawyer. It would be like a type of "union" to help protect our livelihood, since it would appear we don't have a union in place now.

The last time I got a Dr note, he wouldn't put the reason for the visit on the letter. Even though I explicitly asked him to do so. His understanding of the law, prevented him from stating my illness to my employer. What happens when your doc won't list your illness?

Can anyone imagine what the new and improved retirement plan is going to look like? Probably need a note from your doc to allow you to retire, but only if the chief pilot believes the note. In which case if he doesn't believe it, your retirement will be moved to an upper management slush fund for them to use for dinner parties, where they discuss various pilot illnesses and they vote to determine who is the grossest guy or gal out there.

We will tout it as a win, since the word slush is in there, and we all know how hot it is in MEM right now, and who can deny that a slushy doesn't sound good when we're sitting in the cockpit without the APU running?

WINNING!