Hello group,

I've been working at my company for almost 10 years now, almost 4 years full time with benefits. Over the last ~4 years time, I have accrued 175 sick time hours and taken 322. So I am 137 'in the hole' as my manager puts it.

In 2006 I have only taken 24 of these hours, and just recently cuz I was sick. Now human resources is riding my boss who is riding me; basically telling me that if I miss another day, there will be a written warning, and then maybe if I miss another day they'll show me the door. There seems to be no room for negotiation here. It's like i'm all of a sudden I am hanging by a thread at my job at which I've been so long.

Anyway, the question is, can a company keep a running deficit of sick time for almost 4 years, and then spring it on me threating dismissal?

Is there a statue out there that wipes me clean each fiscal year? I mean I had a baby girl 3 years ago and took alot of personal/sick time that year with the birth and doctors and all, and only now it rears its head? What can I do? I've taken 3 sick days in 2006 and all of a sudden I'm in trouble at work.

It is written in our company guidelines that sick time is accrued, and can be carried over to future years, but says nothing about a running deficit across years.

correction, I have been working full time since 11/12/01, so its more like 5.5 years, not almost 4 years.

Im all worked up. Its like 4.5 years.

Could be 34.5 years. Doesn't matter. Unless your absences are covered under FMLA, excessive absences are a perfectly fine reason for the employer to terminate your employment.

So taking an extra ~2.5 hrs/month over 54 months is reason for termination? I've done much more in overtime.

It may not seem fair, but as Patty says, it is legal unless the time was qualified under FMLA.

So if I get sick within the next 2.5 years I can lose my job. Thats how long it would take me to get it down to near 0. Great stuff.

Could anyone point me to where this 'regulation' is documented?

You're going at it from the wrong end. It's not that there is a specific law that gives employers permission to fire people for excessive absences; it's that there is no law prohibiting it.