United Airways has simply up to date its coverage for all flight attendants, and the union is claiming that it is a blatant violation of the present contract (because of @xJonNYC for flagging this).
United updates weekend sick coverage for flight attendants
This weekend, United knowledgeable flight attendants of an up to date coverage for all paid and unpaid sick calls. Efficient instantly and till additional discover, all flight attendants who name in sick for reserve or journeys departing on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays, are required to submit an absence certificates.
The airline claims that this choice is because of a major enhance (of as much as 23%) in sick calls over weekends this summer season. The airline is suggesting that persons are misusing sick depart, as a result of they wish to have enjoyable on weekends in summer season, reasonably than working.
The airline is now requiring flight attendants to “present verification of an incapacitating sickness from an accredited doctor when making a sick name.” The airline states that it “by no means desires you to return to work whenever you’re unwell, however misuse of sick time means different flight attendants must cowl these journeys, and our prospects are at higher danger of journey disruption.”
Evidently this has nothing to do with the present operational mess that United is coping with, as a result of IT points on Friday. In spite of everything, if that have been the case, this wouldn’t be applied only for weekends.
Clearly some United flight attendants are misusing sick depart right here to have their “sizzling lady summer season,” or no matter. So I get why United is attempting to cease that. On the similar time, requiring a physician’s notice additionally looks like a waste of collective sources. For instance, there are many conditions the place you might have a fever and know you might have a chilly, however there’s no want to truly see a physician, as you simply want time to get higher.
Union accuses United of violating contract
The Affiliation of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents United’s roughly 28,000 flight attendants, has accused the airline of blatantly attempting to violate its contract, and plans to struggle this. The union makes it clear that the contract that flight attendants have solely permits the airline to require an absence certificates round July 4th and across the Christmas vacation interval. It says nothing of Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays.
The union has filed a grievance with the corporate to get this coverage reversed. Whereas this can take time, the union is telling members to maintain information and receipts of any ensuing prices, comparable to co-pays, which might have in any other case not been incurred.
The union has fairly some harsh phrases for administration relating to this:
Administration couldn’t be bothered to attend till this unprecedented disaster was resolved to blatantly violate our Contract; they needed to do it proper now, within the midst of the chaos. It is a clear indication of simply how tone-deaf administration is. Upon informing the Union simply this afternoon in regards to the new requirement and the forthcoming announcement, MEC President Ken Diaz instructed them in no unsure phrases it’s a violation of our Contract that will be grieved, but they moved forward anyway. That is additionally a mirrored image of the continuing state of deteriorating labor relations throughout the firm.
All these meaningless phrases like, “Good Leads the Means” and “Core4”, proceed to be simply that, meaningless. Administration’s actions are reprehensible. Whereas extraordinarily irritating, administration has made up after which applied these new guidelines in violation of our Contract, however we should adjust to them in an effort to keep away from administration taking “disciplinary motion as much as and together with termination of employment.”
Assuming the union’s interpretation of the contract is correct, and there’s no clause about administration with the ability to require an absence certificates over different durations, then it does certainly appear to be it is a blatant contract violation.
After all it’s value emphasizing that relations between administration and the union are particularly dangerous proper now, as a brand new contract is being negotiated. United flight attendants will shortly solid their ballots for a strike authorization vote, which nearly everybody will vote in favor of.
Backside line
United Airways has up to date its sick coverage for flight attendants, and is now requiring an absence certificates for any sick calls on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. The airline claims this is because of a serious uptick in sick calls on weekends this summer season.
Whereas that may be true, the union is arguing that it is a contract violation, and that the corporate can’t require an absence certificates, besides round July 4th and the Christmas vacation. I’m curious to see how this example evolves…
What do you make of United’s up to date sick coverage for flight attendants?
