American Airlines told its flight attendants union that it was imposing a new points policy for absences in early August, with just a few days notice. The union flipped its lid, and around July 29th American agreed to hold off immediate implementation of the changes pending further discussion.

Back in late 2018, American imposed a new points sytem that can lead to discipline or dismissal for not working scheduled flights.

• Flight attendants get points even for taking sick time, even though sick time is a benefit
  
• The more points, the more progressive discipline.

According to a source with knowledge of the matter, under the planned new system:

• sick absences continue to accrue additional points as the time off continues.
• Medical leave, even, starts earning points on day 1 instead of after day 6.
• No shows (including ‘unable to contact’ while on reserve) goes up from 2 points to 3 points.
• Late to board becomes a new points-earning category that earns points, as does ‘sick at reschedule’.
• “Patterned absences” without medical documentation begins to earn points.
• And frequent late reports double in penalty, and so does frequent late notification of being sick.

What’s striking to me here is:

• That the airline was imposing this unilaterally, and didn’t have discussions with the union first
  
• That attendance points have been a hot issue for flight attendants for years and the union didn’t bargain over it as part of last year’s new contract – leaving American with the ability to penalize cabin crew at will

My understanding is that union leadership, or at least union President Julie Hedrick, actually supported bringing back attendance points coming out of the pandemic. That comes out of testimony in the Mass Sick case. Penalizing flight attendants who use their bargained-for sick time discourages calling out sick, which reduces the need for flight attendants to work reserve. Senior flight attendants hated being scheduled for reserve.

But since the new contract effectively creates B-scales, putting new hires on ‘straight reserve’ rather than holding a line, the need for senior crew to work reserve lessens. So it seems like even if they wanted to sacrifice members getting sick for the benefit of senior crew that this change would have lessened that desire and the union would have insisted on limits to the airline’s ability to unilaterally impose a punishment regime.

American Airlines has threatened to fire flight attendants who leave their base while on reserve and pulled the trigger on 50 dismissals. They’ve just terminated flight attendants who offered incentives to colleagues to pick up their trips.

But the airline’s data seems to show that threatening to fire sick flight attendants doesn’t actually boost attendance. What it does do, though, is potentially move out flight attendants – often more senior ones who cost more – allowing the company to replace them with less expensive, junior hires.

And if flight attendants work sick out of fear of accumulating these disipline points, that means they’re getting each other sick (not good for attendance and the operation) and get passengers sick, too. It’s an approach United has taken as well.

American Airlines did not respond when asked for comment.