On the job stress has become ridiculous, and corporations like UAL don't give a damn

Before stress gets the best of you, get and use FMLA or sick time - but - Do it right.

What does that mean exactly?

First, understand the obvious: Noisy, dirty, crowded, understaffed work places with the public breathing down your throat over issues out of your control can be a breeding ground for stress, anxiety and depression.

Stress, anxiety, and depression can be a poisonous cocktail. The combination may lead to an action on the job you later regret, or to an accident, or to illness - physical or mental. What's worse? Many corporations could care less about your well being, or these conditions would not exist. What's worse still? Corporations may hold you responsible for breaking - under conditions they create.

You don't need Sister McBitter to tell you. It's not worth it.

Call the Machinist's Union EAP. If you have worked 1250 or more hours in the past twelve months, you may qualify for FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act, protecting you in circumstances related to your own serious condition or that of a family member). FMLA is a powerful tool for protecting your health and your job. Local 1782 will help you navigate the paperwork to a successful FMLA application.

If you do not have FMLA and cannot get it, consider using sick time rather than risking an injury, illness, or job threatening incident. If you take sick time, do so in continuous, long segments of time - accompanied by a doctor's note. In some cases, your doctor can fax or write the company in advance. Doing so may relieve the additional stress of calling the egregious corporation everyday for sick time, and it may reduce the burden of lost time wages.

You may have heard that unethical corporations like Glenn Tilton's UAL use "risk management" companies to threaten workers. UAL's hired guns at Gallagher Basset are famous for this. It's a trick as old as Nazi Germany, and it's a bullet you can dodge. Ask your Machinist's Union representative or EAP counselor how to avoid trouble. Remember, your safety and your health must prevail over greed infested corporations.

The point is safety. UAL's corporation is quick to mumble "safety is our number one priority." Your Union Local would like to shout, "Make personal safety your number one priority by protecting yourself - proactively."

Call EAP (650) 444-6193. Get FMLA. Take sick time. Do NOT jeopardize your long term well being for a corporation that cares only about bonusing it's top executives. It's not worth it.

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