In accordance with Section 13.B. of our Contract, once a Flight Attendant has notified the company to place her/himself on sick leave, she/he shall remain on sick leave status until she/he notifies the company they are ready to return to work. For some Flight Attendants this may mean they are away from work for more than one pairing.
When a Flight Attendant calls on sick leave for a trip pairing the Company will put that assignment in open time in accordance with Section 7.G.1. If a Lineholder, the company may not put subsequent trip pairings in the Lineholder’s schedule into open time earlier than eight (8) hours prior to the scheduled departure, except when the Lineholder has advised the Company that she/he will be on sick leave for a longer period.
A Flight Attendant who becomes aware that she/he needs additional time off, beyond the trip pairing they initially called on sick leave for, may release additional pairing(s) to the company to be placed in open time prior to the eight (8) hour mark. It is entirely up to the Flight Attendant on sick leave if they wish to release a trip early on not.
The eight (8) hour rule is designed to ensure the Lineholder has access to her/his flight while, at the same time, ensuring the paring can be covered in the event she/he is unable to return to work. It ensures Flight Attendants know exactly when they would need to call off sick leave if they wish to work their original pairing.
Under no circumstances should scheduling remove a trip prior to the eight (8) hour mark unless at the request of the Lineholder. In addition, trips should never be taken out of a Flight Attendants line who is on sick leave without her/his knowledge and consent. Taking a trip from a fellow Flight Attendant’s line without her/his permission will result in the loss of compensation for the pairing.