Bereavement

I would like to welcome the many new hires who have joined us recently and introduce The Bereavement Committee. We are a function of The Critical Incidence Response Program (CIRP) and trained in Critical Incidence Stress Management. Our primary purpose is to provide compassionate assistance after a crewmember’s death in any way the surviving family deems fit.

Generally, this involves guiding the survivors through the benefits process and preparing them for the many changes that come with this life-changing event.

During the Fall, you will be given many options in providing for your dependents. In addition to life insurance options, we have some additional resources to help maximize benefits for your family in the event that you die unexpectedly.  These are free and available now.  Please think carefully about how much your family could benefit from:

The Farewell File Checklist is a list of 12 items that will minimize the burden on your surviving family. Your family will take some comfort in their grieving process if they have a general handle on where to find important information. There is an ‘expanded’ checklist to help you gather what is needed and a ‘simplified’ checklist that is designed to be kept in the file itself.

The Survivors Guide is another valuable resource to help the family go through certain steps which will guide them through the process of alleviating many questions of what to do when.. It has a chronological schedule for insurance and benefit distributions. It will also have contact information and resources that will make a difficult time less trying. As the adage goes, ‘Help us help you.’ Preparing for your death can be sobering. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

These can be downloaded from the Bereavement Committee on our website: https://iap2750.org/committees/bereavement/

If you find yourself in a bereavement situation, our outdated CBA offers some guidance to what is available.  To sum it up, the pilot will get four (non-rig protected) paid days to grieve and the option to take unpaid leave thereafter with approval.  In almost all circumstances, four days is not enough time for someone to recover enough from the loss of sleep, mental fatigue and being overall unwell.  Time takes time.  It is not possible to determine when a pilot is well enough to return to the cockpit with most of the grief behind him.  Finding the right time to return to work as a pilot after a bereavement issue is a big personal decision which is best made after talking it over with people in your support network. Another way to determine if you are ready is the IMSAFE checklist and how it applies to a bereavement circumstance:

Illness – Am I still unwell and could I handle something unexpected?

Medication – Recently prescribed medicine might not allow you to function normally in flight.

Stress – From all different directions besides the bereavement itself.

Alcohol – Is a depressant, used by many to cope with hard times, but delays the healing process.

Fatigue –  Has my sleep returned to normal and will have no problem resting for challenging trips?

Eating – Often hard to do when you are preoccupied with grief.  It becomes even harder being confined to an aircraft with spoiled or inadequate food.  Malnutrition is accumulative.

Our CIRP Committee members are very well trained in bereavement matters and we encourage you to reach out to us before contacting the Company.  Especially if you are on a trip outside the US.  Always be mindful of how the ‘IMSAFE’ model applies to you. 

Consider the option of using earned sick days instead of unpaid leave.  This might keep you from being both grief stricken and destitute.

Capt. Richard Parnicky
Bereavement Committee

IAP Teamsters Local 2750