DeadHead

I'm on FMLA now, and basically they required at least 30 days notice which blocked off the FMLA days prior to a scheduled bid period. You also have the option of moving all or some of your remaining vacation time into your FMLA period. Unless you are giving less than 30 days notice I can't see a trip being placed on your schedule. Not an expert though, this was just my recent experience.

acl65pilot

Also, under DAL's current FMLA policy dated in 2003, a birth of a child is not an unexpected event, and therefore you cannot request FMLA on short notice unless there are some severe complications with the delivery etc. Ran in to this a while back, and even though the new guidance diverges from this, expect to have to adhere to DAL's policy if you are requesting FMLA for the birth of a child.

They will let you go negative 20 in your bank though.

johnso29

I've been working with the CPO's for the projected birth of our son, & FMLA seems like a waste of time. No pay on FMLA stinks. I shifted my vacation to the birth month, restocked my bank as best as I could by bidding max credit, & will attempt to bid the days off. I was told the time off will not be an issue so long as I attempt every option available via the PWA.

Check Essential

The Republican (Dougherty) is serving an extended term right now. Her term expired several months ago. Obama nominated Thomas Beck (another republican) to the seat but the Senate is sitting on the nomination. Dougherty continues until a successor is confirmed. By law, the Board has to have no more than 2 members of either party. That's why Obama had to nominate a Republican.

Puchala's term expires summer 2012 and Hoglander just got re-appointed for his 3rd term (I think he is good til 2014).

Puchala and Hoglander are the ones who are driving the bus right now. They are the ones who changed the voting rules that upset Delta management (Dougherty dissented) and the ones who are keeping these "interference" claims alive and blocking the flight attendant integration.
Puchala is a former chairman of the flt attendant union (AFA) and Hoglander is former TWA MEC Chairman.

The terms are for 3 years.

Management can't "walk away" for months unless the NMB allows it. Either side can request NMB mediation and then the negotiations proceed on a schedule set by the mediator. However, the mediator in the APA talks has essentially allowed AA management to walk away. The talks were "parked". (to use the colloquial term). It does happen. That's why APA called in ALPA. You know the APA had to be pretty screwed up if even a Democrat majority NMB went along with parking them.

acl65pilot

FMLA was never intended to be a way to get paid. It is to allow you 12 weeks unpaid leave in a rolling 12 month cycle without the risk of losing you job.

What I was getting at was, there have been court cases that have given precedence to short notice leave that must be approved. Compilations to a delivery are one of them. Knowing for nine months that you will need some time off around a date is not in DAL's eyes, and that is what stands. Many times kids arrive late and the time off has already been taken. Then you get in to the interesting aspect of trying to get time off that with a negative bank, moving vacation pay and then having to take the real vacation unpaid at a later date, etc. It is case by case, and as a result most pilots do not know what steps to take. The CPSC is the clearing house for all of this.

My son had complications and half way though a week of vacation, I wanted to move a week to the following week. I was allowed to drop the days, or move the pay but would be required to take the vacation as published at a later date without pay. That did not make sense to me, so I took option three which was to go negative in my bank. Not the best option, but the only one I could do within the guidelines of DAL's Policy Manual on FMLA on short notice.

Also, pilots taking FMLA to be at home with the kids and wife, is something new for DAL. It was not something widely used until very recently.

kamsman

Shouldnt the final ruling on the slot swap be announced today?

DeadHead

Just being through the process myself, I didn't have any issues getting the time off, as long as HR had at least 30 days notice. Agree with you, not having any type of pay when on FMLA sucks. In hindsight I should have I used some of my vacation earlier in the year which I could have shifted into my FMLA. Would have taken some of the sting out of losing a few weeks of pay.

Boomer

Domestic Operation -

I know a 2003 hire at Southwest is making plenty more than I am on the DCI C-Scale.

Jesse

All part of America going soft.

johnso29

Deleted......