Management Blatantly Attempts to Violate our Contract

Management Blatantly Attempts to Violate our Contract with New Absence Certificate Requirement

With less than twenty-four (24) hours’ notice, in a Scheduling Alert released today, management stated that, “Effective July 21 and until further notice, all flight attendants who call in sick for trips departing/reserve days on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays are required to submit an absence certificate.”

Not only is this a willful Contract violation, it is yet another demonstration of management’s lack of respect for Flight Attendants and our contract. Section 13.C.4. of our Contract identifies the periods when the company can require an Absence Certificate of all Flight Attendants. Those periods consist of the Fourth of July and Christmas holiday periods, it says nothing about every Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

Flight Attendants on the line the last few days have endured the effects of another irregular operation. We have once again risen to the challenge and made it all work while dealing with one the largest IT outages in history. We ensured the safety and comfort of our passengers, including those who had their travel plans disrupted by these incredibly challenging circumstances. At the same time, we have dealt with incredibly long hold times to get through to scheduling for pairing updates and hotel information for those stranded.

Management couldn’t be bothered to wait until this unprecedented crisis was resolved to blatantly violate our Contract; they had to do it right now, in the midst of the chaos. This is a clear indication of just how tone-deaf management is. Upon informing the Union just this afternoon about the new requirement and the forthcoming announcement, MEC President Ken Diaz told them in no uncertain terms it is a violation of our Contract that would be grieved, yet they moved ahead anyway. This is also a reflection of the ongoing state of deteriorating labor relations within the company.

Management also added a second contract violation related to when the Absence Certificate needs to be submitted. Section 13.C.3. of the Contract requires the Absence Certificate to “be submitted to Company Medical on or before check-in time of a Lineholder’s first trip or a Reserve’s first assignment including Standby Reserve, following an illness or injury.” And that “If a physician’s release is not received, the Flight Attendant will have seventy-two (72) hours after her/his first trip flown or Standby Reserve assignment to provide the note.”

Be aware, the closing paragraph states, “If the absence certificate is not received within 72 hours of calling off sick leave, the flight attendant will be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.”  For those Flight Attendants who are familiar with the timing requirement under our Contract, management has made up and then imposed their own new requirement of when the Absence Certificate needs to be submitted.

The MEC immediately contacted AFA legal about filing an MEC grievance. While this process will take time, if you are affected by the new requirements, please keep records/receipts of any resulting costs, such as co-pays you would have otherwise not incurred.

All those meaningless phrases like, “Good Leads the Way” and “Core4”, continue to be just that, meaningless. Management’s actions are reprehensible. While extremely frustrating, management has made up and then implemented these new rules in violation of our Contract, but we must comply with them in order to avoid management taking “disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment.”

Your Union Leadership recognizes the circumstances so many of us have endured over the last several days. Our continued professionalism through all of this demonstrates the commitment and the pride we carry as Aviation’s First Responders. Take care of each other, and we will keep you informed of all developments as they happen.