My question would be "hunny, why are you looking at my pay registers? I'm a big boy and can make sure I'm paid correctly."

 

Actually the is policy in place that addresses sick calls on holidays. But let me give you a little advice. As an airline family you make your holiday celebrations on the day they happen to work out. The actual date isn't important. Celebrate on the day he's home. There is almost no greater strain and pressure that you can put on your jr pilot husband than being a psycho about saving him home on holidays. And your insisting on it will make his life miserable. You've got to roll with the punches in this business. I've been on reserve now a long time. I haven't had a Christmas or a Halloween or a Mother's Day off for the better part of 6 years. Deal with it or be miserable, it's your choice. A probationary F/O calling in sick for his first Christmas on the line had better have a valid medical issue or he may well be looking for work come New Years Eve.

 

I was really only curious about the holiday pay just because of the low pay for the first year. My husband would not call in sick on a holiday if he was not sick whether on probation or not and Hoss, you are incorrect in assuming I would be a psycho wife and pressure my husband into getting the holidays off. That is the furthest thing from the truth. He is more concerned about it than I am. I have already said we can celebrate it when he is home and I could care less if it is on the 25th. The only reason I asked about calling in sick on a holiday is that one of you said "save your sick calls appropriately". I assumed he was saying save your sick calls for something like the holidays and I was just wondering if people do that, what happens...not that I would encourage my husband to do it. And Autopilot....my husband can't be bothered to look at his own pay registers and he could care less if I look at them ...after all, I pay the bills and should know how much I am working with!.

 

So glad I'm not married!

 

Pilots Wife

I hadn't made any assumptions prior to your reply to my post. Now I'm getting a bit more clarity. Does your hubby know that you are on here posting on his behalf?

 

This entire thing is strange to me. He doesn't have time to look at his pay registers (I suppose that's United-speak for a pay statement). My wife does the bills too, but I have a good idea of what my check should be.

What's really weird is, my pay was also low in my first year.

 

Thank you, thank you! I have been at both ends of the spectrum. The amount of open time on major holidays, super bowl, even weekends, is obviously over-represented.

My #1 pet peeve... A pilot can hold a line. It's December. He bids lines only, not reserve. Doesn't get Xmas off, so he calls in sick. If you are desperate for the day off, bid reserve lines that have it off as well. I guarantee you'll get your reserve line with the holidays off.

Man up and fly what you bid.

The airline idustry lags badly behind corporate America. Most companies have provisions for employee time as well as holiday pay. I think every pilot should have 2 EO's (Employee off) per year, no questions asked, barring a handful of major holidays. Give crew schedule some minimum time, and that's it, you're off. No CP call.

This funny thing called life can throw curve balls, and sometimes, you simply cannot go out on a trip. There needs to be a mechanism to deal with this besides calling crew schedule and artificially making a hoarse, nasal voice to declare how sick you are.

 

You actually do that? "Please put me on sick list" is all they get out of me. In whatever voice my throat feels free to toss out that day.

 

Well on the old CAL side we used to just "sick click" in on CCS, but that feature got taken away.

Now you have to talk to scheduling.

And just so you know, the record is 5 Christmas sick calls in a row in my old crash pad. The pilot finally got called in for a meeting, but after the Dr's note was produced, no harm no foul. And no, they weren't on probation.

Do whatever your conscience allows you too. If you want to be that guy/gal and bend the rules, then so be it. If you want to be a person of integrity, do as Special Tracking says and man up and fly the schedule awarded to you.

 

I wonder why they do it that way... same deal with AA. You can CLEAR sick with a button push, but must talk to a human to get on the sick list.

I wonder if it's so you'll somehow feel guilty. Sometimes at AA you'll get a big sigh, rarely you'll get some griping, most often it's "OK" which is as it should be.

I got called in once to a CP office for "sick leave abuse." I had a row of prescription bottles with the dates on them, which solved that. But I'll never forget what he said, after I told him my kids bring home viruses from school, and I won't fly with a cold...

"You need to stay away from your kids when they are sick."

Really? My little girl needs a hug because she feels yucky, and I'm supposed to say "Stay away!! Sorry sweets. No hugs. I've got a Des Moines 2-day tomorrow. VERY important stuff for your dad."