11. Family Medical Leave Act

The Family Medical Leave Act provides eligible employees up to 12 weeks of job-protected leave for the serious illness of an employee, an immediate family member, the birth or adoption of a child.

On December 22, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Airline Flight Crew Technical Corrections Act, amending the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) to include our unique work schedules to allow us to qualify for the benefits in an equivalent manner as the requirements for every other working American.  Under the law, Flight Attendants qualify for FMLA after one year of service and 504 credited flight hours in the 12 months prior to the FMLA absence, including hours guaranteed while on reserve status.  The 504 hours do not, however, include vacation and sick leave hours.

Application forms are available in the Family Leave section of this website, along with additional information about obtaining the FMLA benefits.  Forms are to be faxed to the United Flight Attendant Support Desk / Family Leave Desk.  We recommend using the forms on our website because they were constructed by the Department of Labor. Therefore, use of these forms ensures that all necessary information, and only the necessary information, is provided by the employee to the employer.  These forms are also recognizable to health care providers as they are used by most employers to ensure appropriate compliance with the laws governing family leave administration.  Contact the Support Desk to obtain a case number for your application prior to faxing your forms.  Be sure to write your case number in the upper margin of the federal application forms.

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