Sickout Is Alive and Well in Workplace
It was the phantom ill health of thousands of American Airlines pilots that pushed a federal judge to caustically suggest last week that the union might consider notifying the Centers for Disease Control.
But modern medicine has nothing in its arsenal to cure this contagion: U.S. workers are calling in sick in record numbers without really being ill. Whether the reason is to protest labor practices or just to grab a day at the beach, such absences are costing companies millions of dollars each year.
U.S. District Judge Joe Kendall’s threat to make American’s pilots union pay a $10-million fine, which was postponed Wednesday for six weeks to allow the union to review the airline’s damage claims, was enough to bring hundreds of missing pilots back to work.
While a $10-million fine is beyond the scope of most employers, corporations are seeking ways to crack down on the growing popularity of calling in sick. The sickout has gained favor as a sort of “strike lite,” even among workers not covered by labor contracts.
In fact, unscheduled absences are on the rise and reached a seven-year high in 1998, according to a survey by CCH Inc., a Chicago publishing company. Most of those no-shows were not sick, the survey found.
“Only about a quarter of the people who were taking off were really sick,” said Paul Gibson, human resources analyst at CCH, which surveyed 401 companies.
The survey found that among the leading reasons for the non-illness absences were stress and a mentality some workers had that they were entitled to the time off. Both could be seen as indications that employees were using the “sick days” to retaliate against the employer.
Sickouts, both organized and individual, have gained popularity as striking has become less effective, said Harley Shaiken, a labor expert who teaches at UC Berkeley. Most workers continue to be paid when they call in sick and the work action generally is shorter.
“People look for alternative ways to protest,” including refusing to work overtime, Shaiken said. “What the judge may have done is simply send the pilots into the hills.”
At the peak of the sickout over the Presidents Day weekend, more than 2,000 of American’s 9,200 pilots were out, resulting in the cancellation of about 6,600 flights and disrupting travel for more than half a million people.
The pilots’ 11-day protest centered on a dispute about how quickly American should upgrade the pay of pilots from Reno Air, which American bought last year.
American on Wednesday pegged damages from the job action at more than $150 million. In an attempt to win back passengers, AMR Corp., American’s parent, said it would temporarily lower ticket prices.
Unscheduled absenteeism costs U.S. businesses millions of dollars each year, and most sick-leave policies do not address the problems that are causing the no-shows, Gibson said.
Many companies are finding ways to pay employees for unused sick days or are setting up “banks” that combine sick days and personal time, so that employees are not required to provide a reason for taking time off, he said.
Some techniques are more effective than others. In 1997, for example, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department required that deputies, who had been staging an eight-day “blue flu” action, supply doctors’ notes to prove their illnesses. Sheriff’s officials were flooded with hundreds of doctors’ notes, most citing gastrointestinal problems.
The toughest tack of all was outlined in a book of collected memos by Bear Stearns Chairman Alan C. “Ace” Greenberg. On sick days: “No excuse. We will no longer accept your doctor’s statement or note as proof. It is clear that if you are well enough to get to the doctor’s office, you are well enough to come to work.”
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Other Airline News: Trans World Airlines said it will cut about 1,000 jobs and may make other cost-cutting moves this year, following a 10th straight year of losses. The St. Louis-based carrier reported Wednesday that it lost $79.1 million in the quarter ended Dec. 31, bringing losses for the year to $120.5 million. TWA hasn’t had a profitable year since 1988. TWA shares closed off 50 cents at $5.44 on the American Stock Exchange. The company will eliminate about 1,000 of its 21,200 jobs this year, mostly through attrition and voluntary severance, officials said.
TWA blamed $42.6 million of the fourth-quarter loss on special charges. The carrier was also hurt by a series of job actions last year.
