I remember the days when all you had to do was call the chief pilot and say: I need time off to deal with my wife's problem . Chief pilot would say: FINE, call me when you are ready to fly again, we will keep sending you your pay, we want you to be well.
Those days are long gone at many carriers I'm afraid. And, I would say that some of the deterioration in benefits is due to colleagues who have faked illnesses and milked the system at the expense of those of us who choose to be honest.
Who can blame the company for checking up on you after some clown brags on the union forum about calling in sick for a trip he doesn't like and quips that 'you're one phone call away from a perfect line!'
