FMLA & State Leave Zoom Webinar - January 27, 2026

As a Southwest Airlines Flight Attendant represented by TWU Local 556, you have access to important leave protections—both through federal law and state-specific legislation. These protections exist because of decades of contract negotiations and political advocacy by Members like you. Understanding your options can help you protect your attendance record, care for yourself and your family, and ensure you’re paid when eligible.

This page provides comprehensive guides to FMLA and state-specific protected sick leave programs available to Flight Attendants based in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, and Maryland. Each guide includes eligibility requirements, accrual rates, step-by-step instructions for submitting leave through Workday, and answers to frequently asked questions. 

The Family and Medical Leave Act provides eligible Flight Attendants with up to 72 days of job-protected leave per year for serious health conditions—your own or a family member’s. This guide traces the history of FMLA in our Contract from the 1996 Green Contract through the current Pink Contract, explains the difference between Intermittent (INT) and Continuous (CONT) FMLA, and details the critical 2026 change from calendar-year to rolling 12-month FMLA tracking. You’ll learn how to qualify with 504 duty hours, how to apply through Workday, and how INT FMLA protects your eligibility for quarterly record improvement. Whether you’re managing a chronic condition or facing an extended recovery, understanding FMLA is essential.

History of FMLA

FMLA FAQs

Flight Attendants based in Oakland (OAK) or Los Angeles (LAX) have access to Oakland and/or California Protected Hours for medical care, preventative treatment, or absences related to domestic violence or sexual assault. California also offers additional benefits including State Disability Insurance (SDI), Paid Family Leave (PFL) for bonding with a new child or caring for seriously ill family members, the Family School Partnership Act for school activities, and the right to designate a personal physician for on-the-job injuries. This guide covers accrual methods, submission deadlines, and important notes for Flight Attendants who live outside California but are based in OAK or LAX—you’re still eligible and have SDI deducted from your paycheck.

Atlanta-based Flight Attendants can use the Georgia State Sick Leave Act (GAKC) to take up to five paid days per calendar year to care for an ill immediate family member—including children, grandchildren, spouses, parents, grandparents, and dependents listed on your tax return. Unlike state protected hours programs, GAKC requires you to submit the GAKC form along with your PIN or Doctor’s note through Workday; attendance points are applied but can be removed with valid documentation. This guide provides the form location on SWALife and step-by-step Workday submission instructions.

Baltimore-based Flight Attendants can use Maryland Protected Hours under the Healthy Working Families Act for their own medical needs, family care, maternity/paternity leave, or domestic violence situations. MDPH accrues at one hour per 30 hours worked with a 40-hour annual accrual cap and 64-hour usage maximum. Maryland also offers the Family Flex Leave Act (MFFLA), which allows you to use sick bank or vacation pay to care for an ill child, spouse, or parent. This guide explains both programs, including the important distinction that MDPH protects absences from points automatically while MFFLA requires a PIN or Doctor’s note submission to remove points.

Your Contract’s attendance system runs on a quarterly point structure designed to protect you when you’re sick. Report sick as soon as your illness is known, and at least 2 hours before check-in to avoid the harsh 2.5-point penalty—timing matters. Each quarter you get one non-chargeable sick occurrence: use a doctor’s note (DN) or Personal Illness Note (PIN) to zero out points for that illness. PINs are self-written and cover up to 7 consecutive days, but they can’t be used on blackout dates like major holidays. Without a DN or PIN, you’ll accumulate 0.5 points per sick day up to 2.5 points per continuous illness. The discipline ladder runs from counseling at 5 points to termination at 12. But the Contract also rewards good attendance: earn 2 points off each quarter with no chargeable occurrences, bank up to 7 points as a cushion, and take advantage of the 4th Quarter bonus that can reset you to zero if you end the year at 4 points or less with minimal Q4 accumulation.