EAP

Free, Confidential Help

The EAP program at Local 1782 has grown and developed into a substantial resource, available at all stations, for Members who are experiencing difficult times in life.

• Debt Management
• Depression / Anxiety
• Grief & Loss
• Eating Disorders
• Divorce / Marital Relationships
• Child / Teen Conduct
• Elder Care
• Alcohol / Drug Dependence
• Gambling / Addictive Behaviors
• Sexual Abuse
• Domestic Violence
• Trauma Reactions

EAP programs were founded by labor unions, and still are sponsored by unions, including IAM Local 1782.

What Is The Employee Assistance Program?

Many of us face painful, challenging personal problems at some point in our lives.

Fortunately, your labor union offers a program that can be of enormous help to us during difficult times. EAP offers free, confidential help to Members and their families when a personal problem develops.

How Do I Know When I Really Have A Problem?

We all have ups and downs. It’s not always easy to decide when to ask for help. Your EAP representative can help you determine whether you need to take action. Remember, it’s better to deal with a problem before it becomes overwhelming. Ask yourself these questions.

• Do I think about the problem frequently or, am I always worried about the same thing?
• Am I just telling myself the problem “isn’t that bad and it’ll just go away,” but it doesn’t?
• Do I feel tired, frustrated, depressed, angry or sick?
• Is my job performance or dependability being affected?
• Do I feel like giving up?

What Services Does The EAP Provide?

Your EAP representative will provide a clinical assessment and will assist you in developing a plan of action that will meet your needs. If necessary, you will be referred to qualified service providers in your community. The EAP representative will also follow up with you to ensure that you are getting the help you need and that you are satisfied with the referral.

What Will This Cost?

The services of the EAP itself are free. If referral to a community service provider is necessary, your EAP representative will work with you to make effective use of health insurance benefits.

Is The EAP Really Confidential?

The program is confidential – unless you give your authorization for disclosure or as otherwise required by law.

Also, the Employee Assistance Program is voluntary. It’s up to you to decide whether or not you’ll follow EAP recommendations.

The Next Step Is To Call EAP

You can call any of the phone numbers listed on this page, or just call the union EAP Main Office at
(650) 876-3625.

FMLA

The Family Medical Leave Act

This is a federal and state law. It says that if you:

• Have worked for the same company for at least 12 months (does not need to be consecutive), and you
• Have worked at least 1,250 hours in the past year, and you
• Work for a company with at least 50 employees who work within 75 miles of your work site ...

Then you are entitled to:

• Take a total of 12 weeks off work without pay.
• Keep any health insurance coverage you had during the time you are off.
• Get your old job back, or an equivalent position with equal pay, benefits and other terms and conditions of employment following FMLA leave.

Employee responsibilities under FMLA:

• You must give notice of the need for leave from your job:
• Employees do not have to specifically request “FMLA Leave” or even mention FMLA. Employees must simply give enough information or put the employer on notice that the reason the employee is requesting leave may be FMLA qualifying.
• Employers can ask employees to provide “written notice” of need for leave, but employers cannot deny FMLA leave if the employee fails to comply with a written request requirement as long as the employee has given timely verbal or other notice.
• When the need for leave is foreseeable, employees must give 30 days notice. When the need for leave is not foreseeable, employees must give notice “as soon as practicable,” but usually within one or two days of the need for leave arising.
• Provide Certification of the Medical Need for Leave

The FMLA allows employers to require employees to provide medical certification of the need for leave for the employee’s own serious health condition or for a family member’s serious health condition. Employers may not seek more information from the employee in the medical certification than what is allowed in the Department of Labor’s model form. Employers cannot require a diagnosis and should not require employees to sign an authorization allowing the release of all medical information to the employer. An employer’s doctor may contact an employee’s doctor only for the clarification of information.

Should an employer have questions regarding an employee’s medical certification, the employer may require the employee to receive a second and/or third medical opinion. An employer cannot require an employee who has provided a certification of a need for intermittent leave to provide a new certification each time the employee uses leave. An employer generally should not request recertification when an employee is using leave more often than every 30 days.

Comply with Fitness-for-Duty Certification Requirements

An employer may require employees scheduled to return from FMLA leave to certify that they are medically fit for duty. A fitness-for-duty examination or certification must be job-related and consistent with business necessity.

Source: A Reference Guide To the Family and Medical Leave Act, IAM Women’s Department.