FMLA
 

Looking for some feedback from somebody who has used FMLA lately. Can we use FMLA intermittently to drop individual trips or do we have to establish the dates of leave in advance? My wife and I have a little one on the way and I'm trying to figure out if it makes more sense to go the FMLA route or just use sick/vacation time to get the time off I need. Looking for the best way to take about 2 months off paid/mostly paid. I have one week of vacation scheduled the due month and another week the month after.

FMLA varies. Some can be approved for intermittent and some must be continuous. If I remember right, parental leave must be contious. You can't get it approved until 30 days prior to the due date. Need the number or website?

No.. I've got the number and website info. Thanks though. I was just wondering if anybody successfully used FMLA intermittently for parental leave lately.

I was able to take intermittent before my wife's due date because she was put on bed rest, and then transitioned this to full FMLA (this was at GoJet)

First hand Spirit experience from 2014, no intermittent FLMA. Would have been extremely helpful...

I was told in 2013 that I was the last pilot to be approved by NK for intermittent paternal FMLA because "they weren't required to by law so they weren't going to any longer". I highly suggest you look at other options for childbirth, namely vacation and sick time. Keep in mind, once on FMLA, you are on leave, meaning no bidding, etc. You are well within your rights to use sick time for wife's childbirth and any subsequent care for that child/wife per the CBA.

Thanks. Good info. God forbid this company ever do anything for the benefit of its employees outside of what is required by law. I don't even see why intermittent FMLA would be that much of an inconvenience for them, seeing as we can just use other methods to get the time off. I'll probably do a combination of sick, vacation and unpaid drops to get the time off. Not interested in FMLA if unable to use intermittently as it would take me out of CASS and the bidding cycle.

Exactly. Given our CBA language, the only benefit to the FMLA that they'll offer us is if you wished to take unpaid leave. You could certainly contact them to see if they changed their stance on it but that was my experience a few years ago. Doing the same in May and I'm just using a combination of sick/vacation.

Is there a limit on how negative you may go in your sick bank?

24 hours. CBA 14.B.6