Today the company notified the Union that the eligibility requirements for Family Medical Leave (FML) approval will revert to the requirements in Section 15.I.4 of our joint collective bargaining agreement (JCBA). The eligibility rules in the JCBA require that:
Twelve (12) months prior to FML application/usage, a Flight Attendant must:
- Have been paid at least 60% of their monthly guarantee during that time, AND
- Worked or have been paid for at least 504 hours (vacation, medical, and sick pay excluded)
This is a change to the temporary eligibility requirements the company instituted in March, which only required that a Flight Attendant have two (2) months of active service within 12 months for FML eligibility. This reversion to the JCBA rule for eligibility is effective as of today.
Flight Attendants who have already been approved for FML under the former 2 months of active service rule will NOT have their FML eligibility taken away. However, if a Flight Attendant submitted an FML application that has not yet been approved, the Company will apply the Section 15.I.4. eligibility rules to these outstanding applications still in process – plus all future applications.
If you have questions about your application status or your qualifying hours, please contact FAST.