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American Airlines Worker's Compensation Offset

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MDWCrashPad

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 20, 2004
Posts
52
In an Illinois worker's compensation claim, American Airlines is trying to claim an offset due to the fact that the pilot is receiving disability insurance payments after an on the job injury. The disability insurance of course is a contractual benefit the union negotiated.

I have not found any contractual basis that would allow them to do this nor any Illinois statute that would apply.

Does anyone have any experience with this issue?
 
AMR doesn't care if it's in the contract or not. They don't care if there is 200 years of legal precedence. They most certainly don't care if it's "the right thing to do". (Actually, if it IS the proper, humane thing to do, they will almost invariably do the opposite.)

I contend that AMR is the most evil (with malice aforethought, intent to do harm, withhold comfort, etc.) public corporation in the U.S. and possibly the World.

Now, what was your question again?

TC
 
In an Illinois worker's compensation claim, American Airlines is trying to claim an offset due to the fact that the pilot is receiving disability insurance payments after an on the job injury. The disability insurance of course is a contractual benefit the union negotiated.

I have not found any contractual basis that would allow them to do this nor any Illinois statute that would apply.

Does anyone have any experience with this issue?

Same at UAL. Any disability paid by UAL is offset by other sources of government disability, like workman's compensation. I suspect that is pretty common, but don't know for sure.

Just to add a little bit more, insurance companies and companies like ours (i.e. like AMR & UAL who probably both self insure) don't want to pay someone who is hurt 100% of their old paycheck as a claim if an employee is injured. The insurance companies want an insured person to be motivated to return to work someday. The logic is that if a person was injured and they collected 100% of their old pay, that the injured person might not be too eager to return to work when they can sit at home and collect the same pay as if they actually returned to their old job. So most disability policies pay 50%-80% of your old pay check and don't allow you to "double dip" - i.e. they don't want the combination of all types of insurance (company insurance, social security disability, workman's comp.) to equal 100% of your old pay or worse(!), more than 100% of your old pay.

Some long term disability policies, like what we have at UAL, go one step further. After a set period of time, they'll take a look at you and see if you can work ANY other non-pilot job that pays roughly what you earned before as a pilot. If you're qualified and able to do so, they can terminate your benefit, essentially forcing you to go work at that other non-pilot job (thank you bankruptcy courts).

I'm not saying I agree with it, and I'm not disagreeing with the comment about AMR, but just saying...
 
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Is it true that American only accepts one offline jumpseater?

My wife and I are taking a trip and I told her to buy a ticket on any airline other than American since they have such a bad jumpseat policy. The ticket was $1000 so I guess that is American's loss.
 
Is it true that American only accepts one offline jumpseater?

My wife and I are taking a trip and I told her to buy a ticket on any airline other than American since they have such a bad jumpseat policy. The ticket was $1000 so I guess that is American's loss.

Sometimes that's correct. American has a really stupid policy of taking only as many jumpseaters as there are jumpseats on the airplane. If the plane has 1 jumpseat in the cockpit, only 1 jumpseater is allowed even if there are 100 open seats available in the back. If the plane has 3 jumpseats, 3 jumpseaters are allowed to fly, etc. etc.

Plus, they won't offer your company international jumpseats unless your company also offers international jumpseats, even if your company allows unlimited domestic jumpseaters. Not so good for airlines that don't operate internationally.
 
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United is implementing the same JS rule. Also without the offset would the pilot be making more than he would online? (i.e. the workers comp wage payments plus the LTD payment should equal what you earn, not exceed it)
 

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