WHAT SICK LEAVE?



Just a few short years ago, Delta Airlines had a rather progressive sick leave policy. Our sick time on a per annum basis was adequate, topping out at around 55 sick days renewable each year, provided you worked a couple of weeks after each illness or affliction. Last year, Delta decided that this policy needed to be revamped and the infamously confusing certified/non-certified sick time policy began. As many of you probably remember, this was not the most user-friendly program, but if you could navigate through it, you were still covered adequately when ill or injured.

Unfortunately, all good things for some reason at Delta come to an end and the advent of PPT off time began last April. What a slap in the face this program has become. As you might be aware, whatever certified time you had remaining in your “big beaker” was forever frozen, only to move in one direction…smaller, each time you used a sick day. But here’s the real kicker, if you are off, let’s say, 20 days, even though 5 of those days might be your weekends, Delta takes all 20 days out of your certified time. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that most of us are just one illness away from forever emptying out our certified time and having little sick coverage at all.

Many younger, less senior agents started out with nothing in their bank because, as you well know, certified sick time is based primarily on seniority. Many of them are stuck with using short term disability during long term illnesses or worse, using up their meager vacation allotments or holidays. Talk about draconian policies. Another two-edged sword, especially for younger employees is that short term disability premiums (that we have to pay) go up when you have less sick time in your certified bank, peaking at a whopping multiplier of $1.08 per $100.00 of pre-disability earnings.

As you are now probably aware, PPT (paid personal time) is renewed each year at 5 days per year to be used any way you want. One should keep in mind that the first 5 days under this new program of any extended illness or OJI (on the job injury), are always your PPT days; if you have already used them up, you won’t get paid that first week of illness or injury. If you are unfortunate enough not to have any certified time, you’ll end up on short-term disability, provided you were prudent enough to have purchased it from Delta.

This program seems to have been designed to facilitate the emptying of all our collective sick time banks, pushing us towards using disability time, which premiums we pay directly to Delta, not an insurance company, since Delta is a self funded medical plan. Not very employee friendly. This sick leave program is certainly the worst among all major carriers in America.

At United Airlines, where ramp personnel are IAM members, the sick leave is much more generous. Each agent accrues 12 days a year, maxing out at 880 hours or 110 days. The first 5 days of sick leave are paid at 80% of regular pay, after which all days are paid at 100%. Prior to their bankruptcy, all days were paid at 100%.

For more information, visit IAM at: www.goaimnow.org.