Originally Posted by forgot to bid

Fwiw people if you're sick call in sick. Just so the guy next to you doesn't have to burn sick time and money going to the doctor and get the kids sick. I know there are people on this site that basically say if you can type on the computer you're good to fly. Not so.

Originally Posted by CheapTrick

Yes, you can. Did it a few days ago.

Originally Posted by forgot to bid

Fwiw people if you're sick call in sick. Just so the guy next to you doesn't have to burn sick time and money going to the doctor and get the kids sick. I know there are people on this site that basically say if you can type on the computer you're good to fly. Not so.

Originally Posted by flyallnite

Well we gave away our union protection from the company in the latest contract, that for me was a one issue no vote. I know we got rid of the 75% and all, but what's to stop the company from coming after you if they feel you're abusing sick time?

The company is already saying "don't fly if you're sick". That is not the same as "fit to fly". Have fun explaining the difference to the Chief Pilot. The union has effectively washed their hands of any responsibility to defend the pilot group against harassment from the company. Just wait until the next contract negotiations... this will get ugly.

Originally Posted by Check Essential

Its becoming entirely obvious that our contract Section 1 is dysfunctional.
The company pretty much ignores it and DALPA has no intention of ever enforcing it.

I'm beginning to think that the whole scope clause kabuki dance that management and DALPA perform is only for the benefit of the line pilots. To maintain the illusion that we have some control.

I suppose all that may be the inevitable result of a fast changing industry. Circumstances change so rapidly that its not in either party's interest to actually pay any attention to the language in the contract. We just re-write the language for every contingency or "opportunity" that management presents us with. We traded more large RJs for some 717s that were probably coming anyway and to get rid of some 50 seaters that were going to be retired anyway. When RAH bought Midwest
the ALPA lawyers just came in and told us the part of our contract that we thought prevented them from flying 717s was not enforceable anyway. Now we are about to trade our NRT flying for some fancy new protections or maybe some new 330s that are coming anyway.

Given that situation, maybe we should just be using whatever leverage we can gain from the company's need to modify the contract to maximize our incomes.
We should just calculate whatever revenue is going to be gained from allowing these NRT codeshares to continue and tell them we want 75% of it. In cash. Paid annually along with the profit sharing. Take it or leave it.

Our scope clause has proven useless for actually controlling scope. We might as well get some money for it. You know we're going to re-write that NRT flight quota. Changed circumstances require it. Why bother pretending that DALPA will miraculously write some new scope clause that is any less carved in Jello than the current one.

Same goes for the AF/KLM production balances. Management knows we're going to re-write it. We won't force them to follow the contract if they say it would be unprofitable. Might as well just get some cash for all of our constructive engagement. Why do we constantly go through this charade for nothing in return?
Show me the money.

Originally Posted by NERD

We are almost 1 year into this contract. Has there been any known harassment by the company on sick usage?

Originally Posted by flyallnite

How would anyone know? It's codified in the contract now, and that section just took effect 10 days ago. We've handed over the tools to accomplish that. Like I said, wait and see.

Originally Posted by NERD

I think we would know in a millisecond on here. I may be wrong, but I think you are being dramatic. I think you won't have a problem if you are a "normal" user. 2-4 sick calls per year, not on holidays(conveniently every year) not on trips you've had on the swapboard, etc. The fo I had a couple of years ago who felt it was his right to use every bit, every year(2 yrs straight of 7-8 sick calls) might, just might be asked for some documentation.

Originally Posted by flyallnite

Having worked at airlines where sick leave harassment was the norm, I hope I am wrong too. But as I'm sure you're aware, the people in charge change, the working environment shifts during contract negotiations, and I am not eager to see the company have essentially carte blanche to police our usage of contractually earned sick time.

I would much rather have seen a FedEx style sick leave full service bank, where unused sick time can be paid out, rolled into 401K, used to buy vacation days, and so on.

Originally Posted by DeadHead

Big fan of the sick bank. Plenty of guys still have "use it or lose it" mentality. I won't judge one way or the either, but sick days in themselves a negotiated value to them.

I have paternity leave coming up in September and I would have loved the ability to steamroll those sick days to offset some of my off leave time.