As provided for in Section 13.C.4. of our Contract, Flight Attendants are required to submit an Absence Certificate for all sick calls, paid or unpaid, originating on July 1, 2024, through July 7, 2024. Additionally, during this period Flight Attendants will be eligible to earn one bonus point provided they are on active status during the period of July 1 through July 7.
You must be seen by an accredited physician within 72 hours of notifying Scheduling of an illness/injury. After an in-person visit to the physician's office, an absence certificate must be prepared and signed by the physician. Phone calls and virtual visits are not adequate to qualify.
Completed Absence Certificates must be submitted to United Medical via Help Hub on or before the check-in time of a Lineholder’s first trip or a Reserve’s first assignment, including Standby assignments, following the illness or injury. Once submitted, please allow two business weekdays for processing.
Consistent with our Contract, if the Absence Certificate is not received in the timelines above, you will have 72 hours after your first trip flown or a standby reserve assignment to provide it. If the Absence Certificate is not received within those 72 hours, disciplinary action may result.
For those who have not had an absence(s) in the prior twelve (12) calendar months, you will not be subject to the Absence Certificate requirement imposed during the holiday period.
In terms of Family Medical Leave usage, the following guidelines apply:
- Flight Attendants using FMLA for their own personal medical situation who request sick pay for the absence are required to provide the Absence Certificate if the absence occurs during the holiday period.
- Flight Attendants using FMLA for their own personal medical situation who do not receive paid sick time for the absence are not required to provide the Absence Certificate if the absence occurs during the holiday period.
- Flight Attendants using FMLA unpaid to care for an eligible family member are not required to provide an absence certificate if the absence occurs during the holiday period.
Reminder! Absence Certificates are different from Physician notes used for attendance point reductions. Because Absence Certificates can include protected health information, they should only be provided to United Medical. Bring the Absence Certificate form to your physician's appointment, fax it to the provided number, or submit it online to Help Hub.