United pilots contract, Section 13 — Sick Leave
13-A Accrual, Restoration and Pay
13-A-1 Sick Leave Accrual
Except as provided in Sections 13-A-1-a and 13-A-1-b, for each Bid Period of Active Employment, six (6) hours of sick leave shall be deposited into a Pilot’s sick leave bank up to a maximum of 1300 hours.
13-A-1-a Rapid Accrual
13-A-1-a-(1) At the conclusion of a single continuous sick leave absence during which a Pilot uses more than 170 hours of sick leave, they shall then accrue sick leave at the rate of seven (7) hours each Bid Period until he accrues an amount equal to the amount used (excluding ESB) during that single continuous sick leave absence.
13-A-1-a-(2) At the conclusion of a single continuous sick leave absence due to occupational injury or illness during which a Pilot initially uses more than forty (40) hours of sick leave, he shall then accrue sick leave at the rate of seven (7) hours each Bid Period until he accrues an amount equal to the net amount of sick leave he used during that single continuous sick leave absence. The ‘net amount of sick leave used’ shall be determined after his sick leave bank is restored (if applicable) under the provisions of Section 13-A-6.
13-A-1-a-(3) For purposes of this Section 13-A-1-a, a “single continuous sick leave absence” shall end when a Pilot is available for assignment. It shall not end due to vacation or other absence.
13-A-1-a-(4) The sick leave usage threshold contained in this Section 13-A-1-a shall include use of ESB (not including the 15-hour waiting period). For example, a Pilot who uses 120 hours of sick leave and sixty (60) hours of ESB in a single continuous absence shall be eligible for Rapid Accrual as provided in Section 13-A-1-a-(1). The Pilot would accrue sick leave in accordance with Section 13-A-1-a-(1) only until the Pilot has restored the 120 hours of sick leave used.
13-A-1-b New Hire Pilot
No later than completion of initial training, a new hire Pilot will accrue all sick leave that they otherwise would accrue during their first twelve (12) Bid Periods of Active Employment (e.g., if the Pilot has accrued twelve (12) hours to-date, they will accrue sixty (60) more hours of sick leave by the completion of initial training). Thereafter, the Pilot will not accrue sick leave until their thirteenth (13th) Bid Period of Active Employment.
13-A-2 Restoration of Sick Leave
13-A-2-a Reserve in his first year of Active Service shall be entitled to restore sick leave during the Bid Period in which the sick leave absence occurred by trading one (1) scheduled reserve day off for each specific work day missed due to sick leave. The scheduled reserve day off to be used to restore the sick leave must be approved by the Company.
13-A-2-b With Company concurrence, a Lineholder may pick up a Trip that begins on the second or subsequent day of a sick-leave absence. The pay value of the Trip he picks up shall restore the sick leave used for the sick-leave absence on an hour-for-hour basis. Any additional pay value shall be added to the Pilot’s Line Pay Value. A trip picked up under this provision is not eligible for Lineholder Premium Pay found in Section 20-H-4. A Lineholder is eligible to be assigned a Senior Manning Trip under this provision, provided that the assignment is processed under the provisions of Sections 20-H-5-c-(2)-(c) or 20-H-5-c-(3)-(c).
13-A-2-c A Lineholder who so indicates shall be allowed to restore sick leave (on an hour-for- hour basis) during the Bid Period in which the sick leave occurred or the following Bid Period by using the pay value of a Trip picked up from open time on a day(s) off in accordance with Section 20-H-2. A trip(s) may only be used for restoration if it was picked up following the Lineholder’s notification to the Company of their sick leave absence.
13-A-3 Sick leave with pay shall be granted up to the number of hours of sick leave accumulated by the Pilot, as follows:
13-A-3-a Lineholder Sick Leave Pay
13-A-3-a-(1) For each sick leave absence included in Monthly Schedule Preferencing, a Lineholder shall be paid and his sick leave bank shall be debited three (3) hours.
13-A-3-a-(2) For each day of training missed due to sickness, a Pilot shall be paid and his sick leave bank shall be debited the pay value of the training day in accordance with Section 3-E.
13-A-3-a-(3) For all other sick leave absences, a Lineholder shall be paid and his sick leave bank shall be debited the pay value of the Trip(s) missed, or portion thereof, due to sickness.
13-A-3-a-(4) When a Lineholder becomes sick after departing on the originating leg of his current Trip, he will be paid the pay value of the Trip in dollars as it existed at the time he became sick. The Trip will be rebuilt using the next legal deadhead back to the Pilot’s Base (if necessary) to establish an hourly value of that rebuilt Trip. If the hourly value of the rebuilt Trip is less than the hourly value of the Trip as it existed at the time he became sick, then the Pilot’s sick bank will be debited the difference in hours. If the Pilot received Add Pay under Section 20-H-4 or 20-H-5 when the Trip was assigned, such Add Pay will be recalculated by applying the appropriate percentage to the pay value of the rebuilt Trip.
13-A-3-b Reserve Sick Leave Pay
13-A-3-b-(1) For each day of sick leave included in Monthly Schedule Preferencing, a Reserve shall be paid and his sick leave bank shall be debited three (3) hours.
13-A-3-b-(2) For each reserve day missed (to include reserve days the Reserve had previously been assigned a Trip or training) due to sickness, a Reserve shall be paid and their sick leave bank shall be debited four hours and eighteen minutes (4:18).
13-A-3-b-(2)-(a) If a Reserve calls sick for a future reserve day within a block of reserve days, the Company may elect to place the Pilot on sick leave for any remaining reserve days within that block prior to the original sick leave day.
13-A-3-b-(3) If a Long Call Reserve is sick and notifies the Company after 0600 on a reserve day and the sick leave is for more than one (1) day, he shall not be charged sick leave for the first day.
13-A-3-b-(4) If a Reserve notifies the Company that he is available for duty on a day for which he had previously called in sick, the following shall apply:
13-A-3-b-(4)-(a) If he is available for duty on the current day, he shall be advised by the Company at the time of the call if sick leave for the current day shall be removed. If removed, he may be given a Short Call assignment beginning at or after the time of the call. If unused, such Short Call assignment shall not apply toward the MPG provisions of Section 3-C-1-b-(1).
13-A-3-b-(4)-(b) If he is available for duty on the next day and it is 1200 or earlier on the current day, the sick leave for the next day and any subsequent day(s) shall be removed.
13-A-3-b-(4)-(c) If he is available for duty on the next day and it is after 1200 on the current day, he shall be advised by the Company at the time of the call if sick leave for the next day shall be removed. Sick leave for any subsequent day(s) after the next day shall be removed.
13-A-3-b-(4)-(d) On any day that sick leave is removed and the Pilot returns to availability, the Pilot shall not be charged sick leave for that day.
13-A-3-b-(5) For each day of training included in Monthly Schedule Preferencing that is missed due to sickness, a Reserve shall be paid and his sick leave bank shall be debited the pay value of the training day in accordance with Section 3-E.
13-A-3-b-(6) For a sick leave absence on a day in which a Reserve has also performed any flying (or deadhead), his sick leave bank shall not be debited. When a Reserve becomes sick after departing on the originating leg of his current Trip, the Trip will be rebuilt using the next legal deadhead back to the Pilot’s Base (if necessary) to establish the pay value of that rebuilt Trip. If the number of days in the original Trip are in excess of the number of days in the rebuilt Trip, those excess days will revert back to reserve days. The Reserve’s sick bank will be debited in accordance with Section 13-A-3-b-(2) for each of those reserve days for which he remains on the sick list.
13-A-3-c Application of Sick Leave in Excess of 95 Hours
13-A-3-c-(1) For application of this Section 13-A-3-c, only PTC/LPV/MPG, PPU, SRM, VDO and Vacation pay shall be considered, including the application of sick leave or ESB in the calculation of the value, as applicable. The sum of these pay components shall be referred to as “Base Sick Hours”. A Pilot shall be paid for all other compensation earned during the Bid Period that is not categorized as Base Sick Hours, without restriction.
13-A-3-c-(2) A Pilot may not be paid more than ninety-five (95) Base Sick Hours in any Bid Period in which sick leave or ESB is debited to bring the Pilot to ninety-five (95) Base Sick Hours. Base Sick Hours accrued in excess of ninety-five (95) hours in a Bid Period shall first be applied to restore any sick leave or ESB used during the Bid Period on an hour-for-hour
basis. Once all sick leave and ESB has been restored, the Pilot’s Base Sick Hours may continue to accrue beyond ninety-five (95) hours.
13-A-3-c-(3) Examples
13-A-3-c-(3)-(a) Example 1: A Pilot has one hundred five (105) Base Sick Hours, comprised of ninety (90) hours of PTC/LPV and fifteen (15) hours of PPU. The Pilot calls in sick for a (non-PPU) twenty (20) hour Trip. The Pilot shall be paid ninety-five (95) hours for the Bid Period and debited for ten (10) hours of sick leave. This is because by application of 13-A-3-c-(2) the Base Sick Hours in excess of ninety-five (95) hours shall first reduce the debit of sick leave. The Pilot had ten (10) hours of Base Sick Hours in excess of ninety-five (95), and those ten (10) hours are applied to reduce the sick leave debited from twenty (20) hours to ten (10) hours.
13-A-3-c-(3)-(b) Example 2: If the Pilot in Example 1 was reassigned on a Trip, resulting in eight (8) hours of Overtime Add Pay, the Pilot will be paid 103 hours for the Bid Period because Overtime Add Pay is not a component of Base Sick Hours.
13-A-3-c-(3)-(c) Example 3: If the Pilot in Example 2 also picked up another Trip worth fifteen hours and forty-five minutes (15:45), the Pilot will be paid 108:45 and have zero (0) hours of sick leave debited. In this example, the Pilot’s total Base Sick Hours are 120:45 for the Bid Period. Since the Pilot’s Base Sick Hours exceed ninety-five (95), any sick leave shall be restored until the Base Sick Hours are reduced to ninety-five (95) (or until no sick leave remains to be debited as a portion of the Pilot’s pay). Since the full amount of sick leave was restored prior to reaching ninety-five (95) hours, the Pilot will be paid 108:45, comprised of 100:45 in Base Sick Hours and eight (8) hours of Overtime Add Pay.
13-A-3-c-(3)-(d) Example 4: A Voluntary Early Check (VEC) Reserve has four (4) Reserve blocks (resulting in eight (8) hours of Add Pay) consisting of seventeen (17) days of reserve (resulting in four hours and fifteen minutes (4:15) of Add Pay) for a total of seventy-three (73) hours of MPG and 12:15 of Add Pay for the Bid Period (resulting in 85:15 of total pay).
The Pilot has three (3) unused SCs, increasing their MPG to seventy-six (76) hours and total pay to 88:15. As a result of assignments while on Reserve, the Pilot flies four (4) Trips totaling eighty-six hours (86) of LPV and increasing the Pilot’s total pay to 98:15 (the Reserve’s MPG remains at seventy-six (76) hours).
The Reserve is then assigned a one-day trip worth five hours and fifteen minutes (5:15), increasing the Reserve’s LPV to 91:15 and their total pay to 103:30. The Reserve calls in sick for this Trip. The Reserve’s total pay is 102:33, including 90:18 of LPV and 12:15 of Add Pay. The Reserve’s sick leave bank is debited 4:17:39 in accordance with Section 13-A-3-b-(2).
13-A-3-c-(4) When a sick leave debit is restored in accordance with this Section 13-A-3-c for a Trip in which the Pilot would be paid different hourly rates, the restored sick leave shall be applied first to the Flights with the lowest hourly rates of pay.
13-A-3-d When applying this Section 13-A-3 to an event for which a Pilot has not accumulated enough sick leave to cover the entire scheduled hourly value of the event, the Pilot's pay for sick leave shall be prorated based on the number of hours of accumulated sick leave the Pilot has and the scheduled value of the event in hours. The resulting proration factor shall then be applied to the total scheduled dollar value of the event. For the purpose of this provision the "total scheduled dollar value of the event" shall not include any Add Pay that would have attached to the event had the Pilot not utilized sick leave. If a Pilot utilizes other allowable methods (such as vacation) to cover additional value of the event not covered by sick leave, this calculation shall also be applied whenever some portion of the event remains unpaid.
13-A-3-d-(1) Example: A Lineholder has accumulated twelve (12) hours of sick leave and utilizes sick leave for a twenty (20) hour Trip. The scheduled pay value of the Trip in dollars is $2000. The Pilot's sick bank shall be debited twelve (12) hours and he shall be paid the following: 12/20 * $2000 = $1200.
13-A-3-e A Pilot who is directed to remain away from work by the Company, such as requirement to quarantine in accordance with Company policy, when the Pilot is otherwise fit to report for duty shall be paid for any Trip or Reserve day missed in accordance with Section 13-A-3-a and 13-A-3-b, respectively, with no debit to their sick leave bank.
13-A-4 In lieu of the amount specified in Sections 13-A-3-a and 13-A-3-b, a Pilot who is granted paid sick leave for an entire Bid Period shall be entitled to reduce that sick leave pay and his sick leave bank debited to any amount between fifty-nine (59) hours and the maximum line construction cap of his Category for that Bid Period. To exercise this option, a Pilot must notify the Company in writing within one (1) day after the end of the Bid Period in which he was granted the full Bid Period sick leave with pay. Additionally, a Pilot who is granted at least sixty (60) hours of paid sick leave in a Bid Period, who is not granted paid sick leave for the entire Bid Period, and who has no days of work (as defined in Section 6-C) in the Bid Period shall be entitled to reduce that sick leave pay and his sick bank debited to any amount between fifty-nine (59) hours and the amount of sick leave due.
13-A-5 Sick leave with pay shall be granted only in cases of actual sickness. The Company may require a doctor's note before paying such sick leave. Dental and doctor appointments shall not be considered as a basis for paid sick leave, unless the Pilot can show that the dentist or doctor in question does not maintain office hours outside the Pilot’s scheduled work time or on his days off.
Cited in: Does United require a doctor's note for sick leave? · Can I use sick leave to care for a family member?
13-A-5-a A Pilot may use up to thirty (30) hours of sick leave annually to care for a family member, as defined in Section 12-E-2 or by state regulation, whichever is more favorable to the Pilot. Use of sick leave to care for a family member may be subject to providing a doctor’s note substantiating the family member’s illness, unless prohibited by state regulation.
13-A-6 When a Pilot is absent due to occupational injury or illness, he must request payment for occupational illness or injury leave in writing not later than the pay period following his return to service. A doctor's note may be required before granting pay for this purpose. If he receives Workers' Compensation benefits and/or state disability benefits because of such absence, he shall turn over such benefits to the Company and shall have his sick leave bank restored to the extent
that the benefits offset the sick leave pay granted for such illness or injury. This offset shall not apply to payments for a permanent disability.
13-A-6-a If a Pilot has exhausted their career maximum of 540 hours of ESB, as provided in Section 13-B-1-a, and subsequently experiences an occupational injury or illness, the Company will pay protect the Pilot for the first ninety (90) days of the occupational injury or illness. Any such compensation will be offset from any earnings the Pilot receives from a State Workers’ Compensation claim.
13-A-7 A Pilot paid in accordance with Section 13-A-3-a-(4) or 13-A-3-b-(6) will be paid any override provided in accordance with Section 3-I-1 based on the rebuilt Trip. Notwithstanding Section 4-A-1, the Pilot shall receive per diem based on the rebuilt Trip.
13-A-8 In the event a Pilot becomes sick after departing on the originating leg of his current Trip, such Pilot will be responsible for informing the Company if his condition prevents him from actually deadheading on the next legal deadhead back to his Base. In such case if the Pilot elects to return to his Base, the provisions of Section 5-C will apply to the actual flight the Pilot uses to return to his Base, except that Section 5-C-1-g will not apply. If the Pilot does not elect to return to his Base, Section 5-D-2 will apply.
13-B Extended Sick Bank (ESB)
13-B-1 Extended Sick Bank Accrual
13-B-1-a For each Bid Period of Active Employment in which a Pilot does not utilize ESB, four (4) hours of ESB shall be deposited into the Pilot’s ESB up to a maximum of 180 hours. A Pilot may not accrue more than 540 hours of ESB during their career.
13-B-1-b Upon the start of initial training, a new hire Pilot shall be credited with 120 hours into their ESB. A new hire Pilot shall accrue ESB in accordance with this Section 13-B-1 starting in the first (1st) Bid Period after completion of initial training.
13-B-1-b-(1) On September 29, 2023, all Pilots will be credited with 120 hours into their ESB. Pilots will start accruing ESB in accordance with this Section 13-B-1 in the first (1st) full Bid Period following September 29, 2023.
13-B-2 Use of the Extended Sick Bank
13-B-2-a A Pilot must exhaust their Section 13-A sick bank (hereafter “traditional sick bank”), followed by a fifteen (15) hour unpaid period, and provide sufficient medical justification to Corporate Medical and receives approval, prior to being paid from their ESB.
13-B-2-a-(1) Example: A Pilot has ten (10) hours in their traditional sick bank and fifty (50) hours in their ESB. The Pilot calls in sick for a thirty-four (34) hour Trip. If the Pilot elects to access their ESB, the Pilot will be paid nineteen (19) hours for the Trip (ten (10) hours from their traditional sick bank, the fifteen (15) hour waiting period, and nine (9) hours from their ESB) and the nineteen (19) hours will be debited from the Pilot’s traditional sick bank and ESB, respectively. The Pilot will be paid from their ESB once the Pilot provides sufficient medical justification to Corporate Medical.
13-B-2-a-(2) Example: A Pilot has twenty (20) hours in their traditional sick bank and fifty (50) hours in their ESB. The Pilot calls in sick for two consecutive Trips, the first Trip having a value of twenty-four (24) hours and the second Trip having a value of nineteen (19) hours. If the Pilot elects to access their ESB, the Pilot will be paid a total of twenty-eight (28) hours for the Trips (twenty (20) hours from their traditional sick bank, the fifteen (15) hour waiting period, and eight (8) hours from their ESB), and the twenty-eight (28) hours will be debited from the Pilot’s traditional sick bank and ESB, respectively. The Pilot will be paid from their ESB once the Pilot provides sufficient medical justification to Corporate Medical.
13-B-2-b The ESB may not be used to delay the beginning of the LTD benefit past the end of LTD waiting period.
13-B-2-c A Pilot must provide sufficient medical justification to Corporate Medical in order to be paid from their ESB.
Cited in: Does United require a doctor's note for sick leave?
13-B-2-c-(1) “Sufficient medical justification” is defined as medical documentation from a relevant medical provider identifying the Pilot’s medical condition and its expected duration
13-B-2-c-(2) A “medical provider” shall include any M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.M.D., D.P.M., A.P.R.N., D.C., P.A. – C., or PhD credentialed as a licensed clinical psychologist, or as otherwise agreed to between the parties, and including any telehealth provider included with a United-sponsored health plan (currently “Doctor on Demand” and including any successor telehealth provider).
13-B-2-c-(2)-(a) If medical justification provided by any such telehealth provider is rejected by Corporate Medical, the Pilot will be reimbursed for any visit required for the purpose of acquiring medical justification needed to be paid from their ESB.
13-B-2-c-(3) Any appeal of a determination that “sufficient medical justification” has not been provided shall be deferred to the LTD Administration Committee as provided in Section 24-J-6-a. The determination by Corporate Medical that an illness or injury is or is not likely to qualify a Pilot for a benefit under the LTD Plan shall have no evidentiary value when the LTD Committee considers such Pilot’s claim for LTD Plan benefits.
13-B-2-d Notwithstanding Section 13-B-2-a, a Pilot on LTD may use fifteen (15) hours per month of ESB to supplement their LTD income. Compensation for use of ESB while on LTD shall be subject to direct employer contributions in accordance with Section 22-A-1-a, though any such contributions shall offset supplemental LTD payments made in accordance with Section 24-H-3-a. A Pilot collecting LTD benefits shall have access to this benefit regardless of the reason the Pilot is collecting LTD benefits.
13-B-3 For any Bid Period in which a Pilot has 180 hours in their ESB, the Pilot will accrue the ability to reduce the sixty (60) day LTD waiting period by one and one-third (1.33) days, the total of which shall be referred to as “LTD Access Credits” or “LAC”.
13-B-3-a A Pilot must exhaust all sick leave and ESB prior to utilizing any accrued LAC.
13-B-3-b For a Pilot using any accrued LAC, the LTD benefit will commence as of the next day after the later of the Pilot’s exhaustion of sick leave and ESB or the completion of the sixty (60) day waiting period as modified by use of LAC.
13-B-3-c When applying a LAC to reduce the sixty (60) day waiting period, the Pilot’s accrued LAC shall be rounded up to the next whole number. For example, a Pilot who has accrued 22.61 LAC may use their entire balance to reduce the waiting period by twenty-three (23) days.
13-B-3-d Examples
13-B-3-d-(1) A Pilot has fifty (50) hours of sick leave and fifty (50) hours of ESB with accrued LAC sufficient to reduce the LTD waiting period by thirty-two (32) days. The Pilot must use the fifty (50) hours of sick leave, complete the fifteen (15) hour ESB waiting period, then utilize the remaining fifty (50) hours of ESB prior to utilizing their LAC. Based on the Pilot’s awarded schedule, the Pilot will exhaust their combined sick leave and ESB on Day 39 of the LTD waiting period. The Pilot may utilize accrued LAC and become eligible for LTD on Day 40.
13-B-3-d-(2) A Pilot has fifty (50) hours of sick leave and fifty (50) hours of ESB with accrued LAC sufficient to reduce the LTD waiting period by twelve (12) days. The Pilot must use the fifty (50) hours of sick leave, complete the fifteen (15) hour ESB waiting period, then utilize the remaining fifty (50) hours of ESB prior to utilizing their LAC. Based on the Pilot’s awarded schedule, the Pilot will exhaust their combined sick leave and ESB on Day 39 of the LTD waiting period. The Pilot may utilize accrued LAC and become eligible for LTD on Day 49 of the LTD waiting period (the remaining gap would be unpaid).
13-C Separation of Employment
Unless otherwise provided in this Agreement, upon separation of employment, a Pilot shall not receive payment for any balance in his sick leave bank or ESB.
13-D Statement of Accrual
Each Pilot's current accrual of sick leave, ESB, and LTD Access Credits shall be computed and reported with one payroll statement each Bid Period.