Flight Attendants from the ultra-low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines have initiated a petition demanding a better sick time policy for its employees. The petition, which has slowly started to creep across social media platforms, is being coordinated with their union, the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) and uses the hashtag #getsickorgetsacked.
The petition was tweeted by @TheApproach on twitter, then retweeted by the on the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) account earlier this week and is hosted on the union’s Action Network account.
The petition also made is making appearances on Reddit (below), where more details about what’s driving the union’s frustration are made clear. Notably, Frontier Airlines appears to be alterating the FA’s sick time policy.
The petition’s statement notes:
AFA Frontier Flight Attendants are asking for your support to fight against Frontier Airlines management’s heavy-handed change to the sick policy. To make changes during a global pandemic is ruthless. We won’t stand by quietly while the company makes an already stringent policy more severe.
The airline industry has been hit hard by COVID, which continues to be destructive. This past summer, we worked through weather delays, mechanical delays, cancellations, crews stranded in airports, not being notified of flying with a crew member who tested positive for COVID, dirty airplanes, handling unruly passengers and living with the anxiety COVID has created in all our lives.
We need a sick leave policy that recognizes the realities of flying in a pandemic and respects us as human beings.
GetSickorGetSacked.com
The AFA’s twitter account also shared a regional event occuring at the Orlando Airport (MCO) on November 15 in protest of the Frontier Airlines changes to their sick policy.
At the same time, posts appeared on Glassdoor on the same day commenting on the sick policy:
This is not the first time Frontier Airlines Flight Attendants have leaned into the sick policy complains. In 2015, and before COVID, the union took another run at that airline’s sick time policy, although that effort appears to have been unsuccessful.
With the impending busy travel season the holiday’s bring, any threats to the operations of an airline would certainly raise concerns. Both Southwest and American are now incenting their crews to work during the busy holidays season as concerns about operational impacts related to vaccine mandates are top of mind for crews and management.
Thus far, the social media engagement on the petition’s posts has been fairly paltry.
