A message from your AFA Grievance team on Sick leave usage

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Your AFA  Grievance Committee would like to take a moment to discuss a current issue regarding sick usage. We have recently learned that management is closely monitoring activities around sick usage, especially around the holidays. They are watching for cases of sick-leave abuse. Sick-leave abuse occurs when a Flight Attendant calls in sick even though they are fit for duty, or, if an eligible family member is not sick. You can be charged with sick-leave abuse even if you do not use sick pay to cover the absence.

What does management consider sick-leave abuse? They may investigate for sick-leave abuse if:

• You travel on days you have called out sick without prior authorization from a supervisor—even if you are traveling to domicile to position yourself to work.  
• You travel somewhere other than your home or domicile, and then call out sick for duty.  
• You call in sick before or after scheduled vacation or other planned absences.  
• You have a pattern of calling in sick on certain days (e.g., calling in sick on New Year’s  Eve for the past several years).
• You call in sick for a trip after posting it for trade, especially if you put money on the trip or state a reason for the trade that is inconsistent with being sick (e.g., saying that you have a baby shower to attend and then calling in sick).
• Your activities while on sick leave are inconsistent with being too sick to fly (e.g., skiing when you said you had stomach flu).

In management’s mind, all of these examples suggest that you may be abusing sick leave. Just calling in sick is not sick leave abuse—even if you have done one of the things listed above. You can and should call out when you are too sick to work, or when an eligible family member is ill. You are supported in taking care of your health, and are appreciated for not spreading your illness to your co-workers. And remember that if you feel better on your sick days, you can call in well and rejoin your trip or work another assignment. You can also help your co-workers out by picking up trips from other flight attendants or from open time on your days off. 

Since we are seeing an uptick in these sorts of investigations, be prepared to preserve any evidence that you or a family member was sick on any days you called out for. Not all illnesses require treatment. But if you do visit or call a doctor or purchase medications, hold on to any receipts or care summaries. Your child’s attendance record from school could support a sick-child call. Lack of such evidence is not proof that you abused sick leave, but having it is always helpful. The company may investigate you if they believe that that you used sick leave to get days off. Additionally, part of their investigation may include monitoring social media, please be mindful of what, and when, you post.

If you are called in to discuss your sick-leave usage, you have the right to an AFA representative during your meeting with management. Contact your LEC Officers or Grievance Committee Members. 

Thank you for taking care of yourself, your families, and each other during this holiday season! 

Kirk Hansen and Marcella Oswald, Horizon Air AFA MEC Grievance Committee Co-Chairs