April Update

Brothers and Sisters,

FMLA:

The Carrier has changed their approach in the ongoing effort to monitor and control FMLA usage. Rather than employing private investigators to follow us, they are now making it significantly more challenging to obtain FMLA approval in the first place. They have altered the format of their recertification requests as well.

In the past, when a pattern of FMLA usage was detected, they would send out a notification stating that recertification was required and that your FMLA privileges would be suspended until the recertification was approved. Now, however, the notification has changed. It instructs you to take the notice to your doctor, who must confirm that your FMLA usage is consistent with what they had approved and continue to approve.

It is important to note that this notification cannot be ignored, as it includes specific instructions. If you fail to comply within the requested timeframe, you may face a CAPS charge for 1.13 - Failure to Comply with Instruction.

Sick Day Documentation

The Carrier is requesting documentation for most PS day absences, similar to the FMLA scenario mentioned earlier. While this requirement is permitted under the PS Agreement, it was not intended to be applied universally or used as a disciplinary measure, yet here we are.

If you are asked to complete PS day documentation, whether at the time of layoff or later via a portal message, it is essential that you do so, preferably within the 48-hour timeframe set by the Carrier. To do this, go to the Employee Availability Management System (EAMS). This is where you schedule PL days. Click the small arrow next to your current status to open the window displaying your available PL days, vacation days, and PS days. You will find a blue hyperlink that says "PS Documentation."

You are not required to see a doctor for a PS day. You only need to fill in the necessary information, including your phone number, the date, and a brief description of your ailment. If relevant, you may also mention that you treated it with over-the-counter medication.

Work/Rest Off Days

On the EAMS screen mentioned above, there is a line item that states "opt out of rest day." This option is not applicable to engineers; it is preemptive programming intended for when the conductor's agreement is implemented. Adjusting the slider will have no effect for engineers. There have been no changes made, and there are currently no discussions about altering the engineer's work/rest agreement.

Vacations

It is not necessary to text for vacation changes in either the B372Z4E-EN or B 321-ENG vacation groups. All changes are awarded based on the timestamp in the system.

As a side note, April 1st through September 30th is the timeframe during which vacation preponderance is calculated based on the number of hours you accumulate in a particular area.

Fraternally,

Local Chairmen

Division 139