Airline Targets Sick-pay Abuse

[PITbull]

I am busy everyday eliciting change in my work environment.

 

[delldude]

wow this thread is mentally taxing to my very being....i might have to burn one as i don't know if i can make it.

 

[Trin03]

]One fact of the matter is that US Airways, as are most airlines, are not family oriented, and are not sensitive to the needs of their employees who work hard every shift and beyond. Earlier someone said that they just hope people are not encoraged to come in when they are ill. With the exception of those that abuse for the fun of it, ( I, too, have worked with people like that) employees coming in when ill with flu, streph throat and the like are indeed pushed to report for their shifts when ill. In the end that jepordizes the health of not only employees but passengers.

Perhaps one solution could be a push for an healthy environment. Promoting good health and well-being. Perhaps each employee could be allotted 1 day a year for a annual checkup without penalty.

And no, I am not waiting for management to suggest it, but for Unions and employees to push it.

I am sure there are 1,001 stories out there of employees with legitimate sick calls and how they were abused and threatened with the loss of their jobs, if they did not show up.

In retrospect, give an employee a quality, supportive environment in which to work and they will give back. Those that are slackers, can be eventually weeded out.[/SIZE][/SIZE]

 

[TheX]

Hey trade.

I found a picture of PitBull:

 

[mweiss]

What I would like to know is why is it the focus is on the employees abusing when in fact this management team is blatantly abusing a benefit of trust called contracts?

Ahh, yes. If Dave violates the contract, it's a bad thing. If you violate the contract, it's just because Dave violated a different contract.

And I am certain you never called in sick when you weren't before the Airbuses started heading down south, right? 🙄

 

[mweiss]

And abuse runs rapid in the upper CCY department :angry:

Which, of course, makes the abuse OK, doesn't it?

 

[mweiss]

I am sure there are 1,001 stories out there of employees with legitimate sick calls and how they were abused and threatened with the loss of their jobs, if they did not show up.

And that's horrible, too. Nobody should have to do that. Furthermore, I sure don't want to catch something from an FA, especially if it's because of draconian company policy.

 

[ITRADE]

Which, of course, makes the abuse OK, doesn't it?

I was going to point that out, but of course, the zealots would have started howling like a bunch of rabid dogs.

 

[jimntx]

Hula Girl wrote:


Hi Hula Girl!

Am I reading this correctly? Has the company hired WorkWell to implement a sick-time control plan?

American did some sort of draconian sick-time thing recently, and I suspect they hired an outside consultant company to do it. Perhaps we should check in over on the American board and see what folks thought of the expeience.

Curious...
-Airlineorphan

You may all thank me in advance--I read through this entire thread to make sure that no one else had answered the AA question first.

This issue at AA was not an outside company or the typical abuse of sick leave--the fact that the sick list is usually around 1,000/day, but shoots up to almost 3,000 a few days before Christmas/Thanksgiving/name a holiday, then drops back to normal right after the holiday. These are people who do not have the seniority to hold the holiday off; so, they just don't come to work during the holiday period.

The issue at AA (at least this time) was flight attendants calling sick then using their non-rev privileges to travel around the system while on the sick list--this is a termination offense that we are told about during training. About 30 flight attendants were terminated, but I understand that they all got their jobs back already.

I do not wish to get into a p**sing contest over whether or not they were really sick. That is NOT the issue. The flight attendants self-identified themselves as sick. They then traveled using their non-rev privileges which is against company policy.

I also do not wish to get into a discussion as to whether the policy is fair or not. I wholeheartedly agree that the AMR policy is overkill--for instance, you have a broken arm. Under the current policy there are no exceptions, such as death in the family, that would allow you to non-rev while on the sick list. However, the fact is that it IS the policy.

To Pitbull, Cavalier, et al--think about it this way. If you were sitting at-home reserve on Christmas with your family and you got called out on a trip because another flight attendant decided that he/she wanted to be with their family on Christmas so they just called in sick, would you still say that they have the right to "earn it and burn it?"

Or, if you are no longer on reserve, I'm guessing that US Airways can declare operational necessity and re-assign line flight attendants. I heard that it happened at AA over Christmas when they ran out of reserves and senior line flight attendants arriving at home base on Christmas Eve from a trip got re-assigned to go out again and be gone over Christmas. If this happened to you, would you still say that the malingerers did nothing wrong?

I look at it from a safety standpoint. I do not want to be on the a/c with someone who has so little regard for his/her fellow flight attendants that they would force me to work on my day off simply because they decided that it was "not fair" that they were scheduled to work on the holiday. If you were unconscious in an emergency, do you want to depend upon that person to get you out of the a/c?

 

[USA320Pilot]

There is no question that a certain element of employees use sick time to augment their vacation.

To me it's a matter of integrity -- not entitlement.

If a person is sick nobody in the corporation wants the employee at work. However, it's wrong for an employee to call in sick if they are not ill.

It occurs, it's wrong, and costs the company an enormous amount of money.

$212 million in sick time per year is a huge problem. Yes there is sick abuse and regardless of the reason why or accommodating thoughts, it's wrong.

For what's its worth I understand the number one sick day for flight crews is always Halloween. I wonder why?

In my opinion, we could see people fired in the future if they are identified to be abusing sick time.

Respectfully,

USA320Pilot

 

[oldiebutgoody]

The company has always had that option if it could be proven. While I have to concede that some folks probably are guilty of this, many are not. F/As work in direct contact with people, picking up trash, serving food (often on the same flight), picking up snotty kleenexes, shaking hands, holding kids, etc. etc. etc. These folks are bound to need more sick time than the average population. Staying in strange hotels, eating at irregular times, not getting regular exercise and other factors also effect pilots as well. Now, the company wants folks to come to work sick, where they potentially expose THOUSANDS per day to their illnesses. Not only is this harassment, it's terribly irresponsible. If the company has an issue with someone, they should take it up with them individually rather than harass folks into coming in to work sick. As our group gets older, MORE folks will require long term sick leave as well.

 

[700UW]

Company's new F/A uniform to prevent sick time use.

 

[700UW]

$212 million in sick time per year is a huge problem. Yes there is sick abuse and regardless of the reason why or accommodating thoughts, it's wrong.
Respectfully,

USA320Pilot

Do you have proof other then the company's word that the $212 Million is factual?

Oh that is right, you believe whatever Dave and his cronies tell you!

 

[ITRADE]

The company has always had that option if it could be proven. While I have to concede that some folks probably are guilty of this, many are not. F/As work in direct contact with people, picking up trash, serving food (often on the same flight), picking up snotty kleenexes, shaking hands, holding kids, etc. etc. etc. These folks are bound to need more sick time than the average population. Staying in strange hotels, eating at irregular times, not getting regular exercise and other factors also effect pilots as well. Now, the company wants folks to come to work sick, where they potentially expose THOUSANDS per day to their illnesses. Not only is this harassment, it's terribly irresponsible. If the company has an issue with someone, they should take it up with them individually rather than harass folks into coming in to work sick. As our group gets older, MORE folks will require long term sick leave as well.

This of course explains why the sick rates increases exponentially around October 31 and December 25. Of course. What was I thinking???

And BTW, your explanation pertains only to the flight crews. How about sickness for gate agents and mechanics???? I don't think they'd touch a kleenex or serve food if they were offered a 1,000 bucks

 

[USA320Pilot]

700UW:

I know of people who are not sick who have called in sick for work. You and I both know there is sick absue and its wrong.

Respectfully,

USA320Pilot