Paid Parental Leave MOU and Implementation Update
Teamster Strong. Pilot Focused.
PAID PARENTAL LEAVE
Implementation Update • Section 8.I
Fellow Pilots,
The Union continues to work diligently to ensure that every provision of our new CBA is implemented and administered as negotiated. We are pleased to provide an important update regarding the new Paid Parental Leave benefit under Section 8.I.
Following ratification, questions arose regarding the interpretation and implementation of the new three-week Paid Parental Leave benefit. In particular, clarification was needed regarding when the leave may be taken, whether it must immediately follow the birth or placement of a child, how requests must be submitted, and how the benefit applies to pilots whose qualifying event occurred before the new CBA became effective.
The Union and the Company have now entered into an MOU addressing these issues. The MOU applies to qualifying births, adoptions, guardianships, and foster-care placements occurring both before and after the new CBA’s August 1, 2026, effective date. It provides the administrative framework that will govern the Paid Parental Leave benefit moving forward.
The full MOU is available at the link below:
What the MOU Clarifies
Under the MOU, an eligible pilot may take Paid Parental Leave at any time within 365 days of the qualifying birth or placement. The leave does not have to begin immediately following the qualifying event. However, the full three weeks must be taken as one continuous block, and the entire leave period must begin and end within the applicable 365-day window.
Notification and Bidding Procedures
The MOU establishes different notification procedures based on when the leave will begin:
If the leave will begin within the first six weeks following the birth or placement, the pilot must provide the Company with as much advance notice as practicable regarding the intended dates of use.
If the leave will begin six weeks or more following the birth or placement, the pilot must provide as much advance notice as possible. The request must be received before the opening of the bid period in which the leave is requested for the request to be considered.
Leave awarded under the second procedure will be identified as a known absence in the applicable CBI or NavBlue monthly bidding system.
If a pilot begins Paid Parental Leave within the first six weeks following the qualifying event and has duties removed from an awarded line, those duties will be paid in accordance with Section 3.G. A pilot who is not on an awarded Regular, Composite, Training, or Reserve line during an awarded Paid Parental Leave will receive 20 PCH for each full week of leave.
A pilot who begins Paid Parental Leave six weeks or more after the qualifying event and complies with the applicable pre-bid notification requirement will receive 20 PCH for each full week of awarded Paid Parental Leave.
Retroactive Benefit
The MOU also provides a retroactive benefit for pilots whose qualifying birth or placement occurred between August 1, 2025, and July 31, 2026. Pilots within this group are eligible for the equivalent of the full three-week Paid Parental Leave benefit. Depending on their individual circumstances, they may:
- Take the full three weeks of Paid Parental Leave if the entire continuous leave period can be completed within 365 days of the child’s birth or placement;
- Receive 60 PCH credited to their Sick Leave Bank instead of taking Paid Parental Leave; or
- Use a combination of Paid Parental Leave and a Sick Leave Bank credit when the full three weeks cannot be completed within the applicable 365-day window.
Example
A pilot whose child was born on August 27, 2025, may take one week of Paid Parental Leave from August 20 through August 26, 2026, and receive up to 40 PCH credited to their Sick Leave Bank for the remaining two weeks, depending on the value of any duties dropped and paid under Section 3.G. Alternatively, the pilot may elect to receive the full 60 PCH Sick Leave Bank credit without taking any Paid Parental Leave.
The Sick Leave Bank credit option applies only to qualifying events that occurred between August 1, 2025, and July 31, 2026. It does not apply to qualifying events occurring on or after August 1, 2026.
How to Apply
Any pilot who previously applied for Paid Parental Leave and was denied should immediately apply again by first contacting their RCP to initiate the process.
Pilots seeking to use Paid Parental Leave or an option available under the MOU should carefully review the MOU and contact their RCP.
This is a positive and important outcome for our pilots and their families. The MOU ensures that Paid Parental Leave may be used at any time within the negotiated 365-day window and provides pilots with clear procedures for requesting and receiving the benefit. Your Union remains hard at work ensuring that the new CBA is implemented correctly at every level and that pilots receive the benefits negotiated on their behalf.
We will continue to closely monitor implementation and address issues wherever they arise.
Fraternally,
APA Teamsters Local 2118