Employment while on leave?

Airdale

Airdale

Well-Known Member
Got a question guys.

I work for Republic (as most of you are aware), and I've been on medical leave since March 1st. I won't go into the details, but basically I've got a medical problem that is preventing me from doing my job. I've had all kinds of tests and docs don't know whats wrong. They are putting me on a class of medications that the FAA typically does not approve for use, which sucks but I've got no other medication options to help.

So I don't know how long I'll be out of work, but we have a training contract at Republic. I don't want to quit or lose my job, but since I am medically grounded from the cockpit, can I at least get another job doing something else for the time being?

I'm not getting a paycheck and I have to pay my medical benefits every month. The health problem I have is not debilitating from doing other work, but its grounding me from exercising my commercial privelages. If I get on a treatment plan that works and the FAA by chance approves me fly on the medication, well than that would be great. I don't think thats going to happen, and I could be looking at being out of the cockpit for months.

I need money, so I'm thinking about trying to find another job right now while I'm grounded. Is that legal to do? Can you be on medical leave with your employer because of the FAA medical rules and go get employment in a non-aviation field for the time being?
 
Airdale said:
I need money, so I'm thinking about trying to find another job right now while I'm grounded. Is that legal to do? Can you be on medical leave with your employer because of the FAA medical rules and go get employment in a non-aviation field for the time being?
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I don't see why not. You gotta eat, and it's ludicrous to expect someone just to hang around rather than getting a job to pay the bills. It's not like you're on disability or anything. You just can't do your job based on certain medications you're taking. If you wanna be REALLY certain, contact the chief pilot's office since I'm sure the rules are different from airline to airline. I know here, it wouldn't be a problem as long as it was a non-flying job, which it obviously would be.
 
kellwolf said:
I don't see why not. You gotta eat, and it's ludicrous to expect someone just to hang around rather than getting a job to pay the bills. It's not like you're on disability or anything. You just can't do your job based on certain medications you're taking. If you wanna be REALLY certain, contact the chief pilot's office since I'm sure the rules are different from airline to airline. I know here, it wouldn't be a problem as long as it was a non-flying job, which it obviously would be.
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Call ALPA's Denver Office. Get the AeroMed guys working on it. You could get it back within a week or less.
 
I don't see why not, either. Due to FAA regulations, you cannot exercise your commercial privilages. Unless that would also prevent you from doing this other job, which you say it would not, why wouldn't you be able to do it? If you owned your own business, or were working a second job, prior to going out on medical leave, with Republic, would they require you to stop working on your business, or to quit the other job? I doubt it. They couldn't, really. I don't think you have anything to worry about. If you aren't receiving income from Republic, they can't expect you to starve. Do what you have to do.
 
TALK TO A ANOTHER DOCTOR!!!!!!!!!!!! I was told I had migranes after expericing headaches for months, and given an anti-seizure medication to take. It was a muscle spasm pinching my nerve, I need a weekend of R&R and hot and cold backs. FIXED!

Also does your company have STD and LTD? Here after you burn thru sick and vacation time you go to STD, which pays 52.8 hours a month and lasts 6 months. Then after you burn thru that you get put on LTD. That gives you 48 hours for another 12 months or if you are totally disabled you get it until 65.
 
Airdale said:
I need money, so I'm thinking about trying to find another job right now while I'm grounded. Is that legal to do? Can you be on medical leave with your employer because of the FAA medical rules and go get employment in a non-aviation field for the time being?
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Absolutely.
 
Airdale,

Sorry about the mess you've got going. I trust you've gone to more than one doc and more than one AME ?
 
You should direct this question towards your company's human resources department. They will be able to properly advise you. Plus, they may be able to set you up with some work within Republic. Maybe the flight department needs an instructor, or someone to work on some special project they need done.
 
MusketeerMan said:
We're not ALPA...and our union in many areas is MEL'd.
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I'm an idiot.

Aside from the topic- why don't you guys de-certify Teamsters and join us here at ALPA. It would be relatively easy to do and Airdale would have a LOT better shot at getting his medical back. Sorry to plug ALPA, but sounds like you need it.
 
Thanks for the responses. We do need ALPA, but whatever was happening last year lost steam and I'm not getting involved. I've got too much to deal with. Teamsters is a joke. We'll put it that way.

Luckily the company has been great to deal with because who knows with this union.

I haven't *lost* my medical. This is a self grounding because of a digestive problem that has gotten worse and I feared it would affect my job, so I grounded myself for sake of the passengers. Step one is finding a medication that can fix it and step two is getting the ok from the FAA to fly on it.

I'll call that company and see what their advice is.
 
Actually, in all fairness to Teamsters, look at what ALPA has done for the Midwest pilots....nothing.

If a union can't stop your employer from outsourcing your own job, than whats the point? Seems ALPA and Teamsters are both worthless, maybe ALPA has the edge.
 
Airdale said:
Actually, in all fairness to Teamsters, look at what ALPA has done for the Midwest pilots....nothing.

If a union can't stop your employer from outsourcing your own job, than whats the point? Seems ALPA and Teamsters are both worthless, maybe ALPA has the edge.
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I saw a guy last month who had paid no dues yet have his whole medical situation handled by ALPA Medical in almost 3 weeks. He was telling me about it 2 days ago. Basically called ALPA as soon as the FAA called him about needing tests done, and ALPA took care of everything except showing up to the doctors office for the actual tests.

If your union cant even handle your medical problems what good are they? I pretty much realized the worth of the teamsters, when they realized that they were no longer in the lead for the pilot group at Colgan, they just gave up.

I will never complain about the 1.95% I pay at Colgan for the rest of my time there due to the help we have received during the crash, and we hadnt paid a dime up until that point, and still havent.
 
v1valarob said:
I saw a guy last month who had paid no dues yet have his whole medical situation handled by ALPA Medical in almost 3 weeks. He was telling me about it 2 days ago. Basically called ALPA as soon as the FAA called him about needing tests done, and ALPA took care of everything except showing up to the doctors office for the actual tests.

If your union cant even handle your medical problems what good are they? I pretty much realized the worth of the teamsters, when they realized that they were no longer in the lead for the pilot group at Colgan, they just gave up.

I will never complain about the 1.95% I pay at Colgan for the rest of my time there due to the help we have received during the crash, and we hadnt paid a dime up until that point, and still havent.
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And thats where ALPA edges out the other unions. They do provide a lot of resources, no doubt. But the reality is that ALPA hasn't been able to stop the landslide in this industry. Too often people like to paint ALPA as God's greatest gift to unions, thats where I disagree. They are the best the industry has, but they've been getting pushed into the spinning toilet bowl just like everyone else.

Just look at what has been and is taking place with Midwest. Management has nearly succeeded in the outsourcing of their own labor. Look at what this industry has become. Its sickening. Then to top it off you have pilots arguing with pilots, when the reality is this solves nothing.

Sure, ALPA is better than Teamsters in a lot of ways. But if your job gets outsourced Rob, then ALPA's resources will be of no use to you.
 
Dave, I would be careful with what you say. ALPA doesn't have an 'edge' over the other unions. They have their issues, but they stand well above the others.
 
Airdale said:
Actually, in all fairness to Teamsters, look at what ALPA has done for the Midwest pilots....nothing.
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I'm a little lost, what could a union do beyond a work action outside of the confines of the RLA which would have been illegal?
 
Airdale said:
I haven't *lost* my medical. This is a self grounding because of a digestive problem that has gotten worse and I feared it would affect my job, so I grounded myself for sake of the passengers. Step one is finding a medication that can fix it and step two is getting the ok from the FAA to fly on it.
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My advice would be to ditch western medicine and search out a change in your diet that will fix the problem without medication. Try going to the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego or Texas. Even one week might be enough to fix a digestive issue.


Typhoonpilot
 
Doug Taylor said:
I'm a little lost, what could a union do beyond a work action outside of the confines of the RLA which would have been illegal?
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I ask myself the same question when people *bitch* about the RAH pilots and the fact that we *should* have done something when management told us we would be flying birds in Midwest colors, though many on here think we could have been able to stop it. The union (yes, even ALPA) could do absolutely nothing, regardless of what some BOP's on here think.
 
MusketeerMan said:
I ask myself the same question when people *bitch* about the RAH pilots and the fact that we *should* have done something when management told us we would be flying birds in Midwest colors, though many on here think we could have been able to stop it. The union (yes, even ALPA) could do absolutely nothing, regardless of what some BOP's on here think.
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My gun didn't serve any purpose when my house flooded so it's going on eBay...
 
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