Use your head before you do something stupid. In this economy jobs are scarse dont lose your job just to be off 1 day. US Airways will Fire you first and asks questions 6 months later at your hearing with your union rep. thats right folks hearings take 6 months with appeals.
I have to take issue with this post. I don't know how things work in mechanic land, but flight attendants, despite being stripped of full pay for sick calls (thank you BK), have the right to call in sick. If I'm not mistaken, we can call in for 5 separate incidents without having to show documentation regarding our medical care.
We are the ones who are in these filthy airplanes with passengers who are more than happy to cough and sneeze all over the place, breathing in the recycled air, cleaning the tissues the pax stuff into the seat back pockets because, (thank you, BK) we assumed the role of utility (after the plane is parked and we aren't getting paid anymore, often during what would have been our lunch break time)...
H1N1 is a NATIONAL epidemic this year. Please spare us the lecture on doing something "stupid." We knew we were going to work nights and weekends and holidays when we signed up for this job, which takes us away from our families enough anyway, but none of us expected to be on reserve 10, 15, 20 years working EVERY HOLIDAY without an end in sight. Betty Bid Sheet and Oscar Over-Fly have no clue what reserves put up with, and quite frankly, the self-serving attitude displayed by so many has reserves seething.
Our contract protects us from getting fired when we are sick. People get sick, especially in the winter. It happens. If the company would be smart about how they schedule and pay us over holidays, it would never be an issue. Remember the sickness that overcame the rampers a few years ago in PHL, when bags were all over the place and animals were freezing to death because everyone was on their deathbeds they were so sick? It was sad and tragic.
4 years into this contract fiasco with base closures and displacements and furloughs with NO buyout gives reserves no hope and every reason to not fly when they are sick this year.
Keep drinkin' that Kool Aid, though, or egg nog if you can hold the holidays off with your family.