AA urges workers not to call in sick

What does this say to our customers? Watch out a flight may not be the only thing you catch flying AA.

Its silly, For someone who does come to work and is contagious. The company runs the risk of a greater number of people out in the long term. If I have to sit strapped in to a seat with a sick person, it wont be long until I have it. AA wont pay for a flu shot, but hopes I will, or at least will work right through the illness.
 
Yes, that's exactly what AA is saying, come to work sick. Or maybe, just maybe, as Carty said, if you're NOT sick and need the day off, please reconsider as the company will again this year report a signifcant loss...
 
This just burns me...Carty and pals with his returned stock..(a fraction of what was given)..salery freezes...against those wreckless employees who wont give up 3%..and are abuseing sick time...You have to see right through this one..it does not surprize my..but it still after all this time of the same old cr*p, p!sses me off......
 
Continental Airlines Makes the FORTUNE '100 Best Companies to Work For' List For Fifth Year in a Row
Monday January 6, 4:21 pm ET
Continental Ranks No. 42

HOUSTON, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- For the fifth consecutive year, Continental Airlines today was named one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" by FORTUNE magazine in a study conducted in conjunction with the Great Place to Work Institute of San Francisco. Continental, the only passenger airline on the list, moved up to No. 42 from last year's ranking of No. 55. Since the list's inception only 28 companies have made the list five or more years.

"The unprecedented challenges of the past 17 months have truly tested our company's culture," said Gordon Bethune, Continental chairman and chief executive officer. "However, we firmly believe that employees are the key to success. Our commitment to treating each employee with dignity and respect hasn't wavered in spite of the events that have seriously harmed our industry and our country."

The rankings will appear in the Jan. 20, 2003, issue of FORTUNE magazine.

Continental employees created the company's entry by sending a "brag bag" across the system. Employees placed their reasons why the airline is a great place to work in the bag, which was then delivered to the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco.

Houston Lead Customer Service Agent Mike Cofer, who helped deliver the entry, said Continental deserved the recognition.

"Our brag bag turned into a trunk because there are so many reasons Continental is a great place to work," Cofer said. "Leadership is involved in every aspect of the airline, communicates what is happening throughout the ranks and shows appreciation for our work."

The study selects the nation's best companies to work for by evaluating work environment and company culture, compensation and benefits, and other measures of job satisfaction.

In addition to company-provided information, a survey sent to randomly selected employees determines the company's ranking on the list. FORTUNE and the Great Place to Work Institute created the random selection process and the survey, which asks employees to evaluate trust in management, pride in work and relationships with co-workers.

Despite the dramatic economic challenges the airline industry faced in 2002, Continental maintained employee benefits and its company culture.

* Continental gave all work groups scheduled pay increases.
* The company successfully negotiated a long-term collective bargaining agreement with its mechanics.
* The airline dramatically minimized additional lay-offs with voluntary leaves of absences.
* Continental introduced coairFares that allow employees and their dependents to purchase discounted revenue tickets. The tickets are less expensive than fares that are available to the public online at low-fare distributors.
* Continental continued with a modified On-Time Bonus program and Ford Explorer Perfect Attendance Giveaway.
* Continental expanded its electronic employee communications program, now reaching 24,000 employees with daily updates electronically. Daily updates are also posted in breakrooms and recorded on a toll- free number that all 48,000 employees can access while traveling.

Continental Airlines is the world's sixth-largest airline and has more than 2,000 daily departures. With 121 domestic and 90 international destinations, Continental has the broadest global route network of any U.S. airline, including extensive service throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. Continental has hubs serving New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and carries approximately 45 million passengers per year on the newest jet fleet among major U.S. airlines. With 48,000 employees, Continental is one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For in America." Fortune ranked Continental the No. 2 Most Admired Global Airline and No. 30 Most Admired Global Company in March 2002. For more company information, visit continental.com


Source: Continental Airlines
 
When I first started with this company I was told that "You had better not call in sick if you are still breathing". Obviously this policy was stupid and resulted in employees coming to work and spreading whatever they had to other workers. To me it sounds as if Carty is acknowledging that employees may sometimes use sick time for other purposes and he is asking them to try and curtail any such use while the company tries to restore itself to profitability. I'm not a big defender of management but I dont see this as an unreasonable request. Its certainly not like asking us to forgo our raises. I'm willing to entertain and at least consider any means by which the company can save money as long as it does not take money away from me. So far the company has focused on eliminating waste and increasing productivity, I see no problem with that.
 
Aloha,

Calling in sick is not a problem at JBLU. They dont have sick days. JBLU combines vacation, holiday, and sick days, all in one bank called PTO, payed time off. You can use them anytime and anyway you want. Makes more sense. That way you dont have people calling in sick for, "mental health days." If people need a day off they just take no questions asked.

There must be a lot of sick people at AA to cost the company over $350,000,000 a year. Maybe Carty should start an exercise program.

ALOHA, 007
 
DC is absolutly right. You shouldn't call in when you are not sick.
Problem is people do get sick. When you are in a sealed tin can and someone sneezes his flu bug all over you.. BINGO!!! Or how about being sniffled on from some snot nosed kid. After he drips on the BP and mama thinks its quite to let snotnose give you the BP.
Gee with these nonstop "rolling waves". Try loading several 757 bellies with 150 to 200 seventy lb bags. You think there is any possibility of hurting your back.
Maybe DC can control the weather, when there's a windchill of -30 and some MT has to change a quadrosloovhiver or something. Brother working outside is no fun.
I guess when some of us do get sick and cannot SAFELY perform our jobs maybe we should be able to use our sick time. I mean when you are feverish or have a hurting back. It is natural to try to cut corners or you may not be able to think things through properly.
Oh! Now I know. DC must be talking about a cubicle mgr, who can sit in his office all day and move papers from side to side. With his box of nappies he can contemplate how his papercut on his finger hurts.
Sorry DC, I only use my ST when needed. I like most front line troops have to think of safety and pax first.
 
[P]
[BLOCKQUOTE][BR]----------------[BR]On 1/9/2003 10:25:45 AM Bob Owens wrote:
[P][/P]What are you contractually entitled to? Nothing, the company could change thier policy at any time.[BR]
[P][/P]----------------[/BLOCKQUOTE]
[P]Don't look now Bob, but I believe that your company is looking to change their policy in the not too distant future....[/P]
 
[blockquote]
----------------
On 1/9/2003 9:13:18 AM JBLU007 wrote:

Aloha,

Calling in sick is not a problem at JBLU. They dont have sick days. JBLU combines vacation, holiday, and sick days, all in one bank called PTO, payed time off. You can use them anytime and anyway you want. Makes more sense. That way you dont have people calling in sick for, "mental health days." If people need a day off they just take no questions asked.


ALOHA, 007
----------------
[/blockquote]

No questions? What happens when everyone wants the same day? How many days a year do you get? Can you accumulate time? We can bank up to 150 days of sick time and get up to 7 weeks of vacation plus 10 Holidays. If we get ill we could be out with full pay for up to 185 days (provided we have the accrued time and years of service). What are you contractually entitled to? Nothing, the company could change thier policy at any time.
 
The company did a recent data compilation and showed that there is a sharp increase in the number if persons out sick on weekends and over holidays.

Sorry, but weekenditis, is not a disease state listed in the physician's desk reference.
 
DC wants you to bank all those sick days so he can pay you $25 per day when you retire.
Didn't they just do away with perfect attendance awards?
 
Consider yourself fortunate that you can bank sick leave. In a lot of companies, you start the new year fresh (which encouraged a lot of "December sickness"). That's one "perk" offered in my current job....sick leave accrues as long as you work here. At retirment, they pay you 20% of your accrued sick leave.
 
[blockquote]
----------------
On 1/9/2003 2:26:32 PM bagsmasher wrote:

DC wants you to bank all those sick days so he can pay you $25 per day when you retire.
Didn't they just do away with perfect attendance awards?
----------------
[/blockquote]

sure they did and scrapped the perfect attendance program, too costly to maintain they say. trouble is, the minute they scrapped it, sick call-ins rose dramatically after all if I'm not going to "rewarded" for trying my darndest to maintain my health and not call-in sick all year, I might as well use the sick hours I've accumulated, and get full pay for it instead of a fraction when i retire. What incentive would I be receiving from my company IF I do come in to work with a non-life threatening, non-contagious sickness (like let's say a slightly sprained finger, where I can still do my job and I wouldn't infect my co-workers)? I might as well stay at home and nurse my finger until it heals, because I sure would not get anything if I injure it more at work. In the past, i'd be willing to risk my injured finger and come in to work because i knew that I'd may have a chance of receiving a perfect attendance pass at the end of the year.