Don't abuse sick time, American CEO warns By Dan Reed, USA TODAY A desperate scramble to find $4 billion to cut from $21 billion a year in=20 expenses has moved the chairman of the world's largest airline to lecture=20 workers on the abuse of sick days. American Airlines CEO Don Carty told his= =20 110,000 employees this week that the company spends more than $1 million a= =20 day as a result of absenteeism. He did not say how much of that stems from= =20 abuse of sick days and "workmens' comp" policies. American's parent AMR=20 lost $1.8 billion in 2001 and is expected to report a 2003 loss of about=20 $3.5 billion. The airline needs to cut about $4 billion in yearly costs to= =20 break even, Carty says. "We simply can't afford to have any employee take=20 these benefits for granted or to misuse them," Carty said in telephone=20 message recorded Monday. Four years ago some members of the Allied Pilots=20 Association staged an 11-day sickout against American. But there's no=20 suggestion of any such events now. Association of Professional Flight=20 Attendants spokesman George Price says the comments are "a bit=20 bewildering." "We don't know where he's coming from on this," Price says.=20 "We're all very aware that a sick call means money to the company." Allied Pilots spokesman Gregg Overman says Carty's comments lacked "a=20 certain amount of context." "One explanation is that it's a signal to=20 anyone who cares to listen, be it shareholders or employees, that American= =20 is leaving no stone unturned" in cutting costs, he says. American spokesman= =20 Gus Whitcomb says Carty simply was responding to employees asking how they= =20 can help cut costs. Employees "naturally tend to see things in terms of how= =20 it effects just them," Whitcomb says. Carty "just wanted to give them some= =20 information on how big the sick days" issue is. "In no way are we asking=20 people who are legitimately sick or injured to come to work." American's=20 daily absentee rate historically has been about 5%. In 2002, that meant=20 about 3,700 people a day out. Airlines in general tend to have higher rates= =20 of absenteeism than other businesses. "Ramp guys suffer the fury of Mother= =20 Nature," says George Price, a spokesman for the Association of Professional= =20 Flight Attendants, referring to bag handlers and mechanics. "Rain. Sleet.=20 Snow. High winds. You name it, they're out in it." "Our attendants spend hundreds of hours in an enclosed environment with=20 recirculated air, exposed to hundreds of travelers carrying all sorts" of=20 contagions, he adds. "Agents are exposed to hundreds of customers every=20 day, and whatever those people are carrying. And pilots are in the same=20 enclosed environment as our flight attendants, and can't take medicine."=20 Pilots can be grounded for several weeks by a common cold. They risk=20 potentially career-ending injuries such as burst ear drums if they fly=20 while sick. FAA regulations prohibit pilots from taking most medications=20 commonly used to treat colds. American isn't the only company noticing sick= =20 time costs. In 2002, the cost per employee for unscheduled absences reached= =20 an annual average of $789 =97 an increase of nearly 30% since 2000,= according=20 to a study by CCH, a human resource information firm. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.hilofoodstores.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************