EMB ERJ 170/175 ER/LR
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Workload; Physiological - Other; Fatigue
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action; General Work Refused
Procedure; Human Factors; Company Policy
After working 18 of last 21 days: 6 days on; 2 days off; 6 days on; 1 day off; then 6 days on; I was rescheduled on my last day of this stretch to fly an additional 2 legs and then deadhead one leg. I was originally supposed to fly from a scheduled trip then Dead Head back to my domicile. Scheduling wanted to add a round trip then dead head back to my domicile. I was forced to call in fatigued at an out station after working the flight from my domicile. I just filled out the fatigue report for that flight; however I am filling out a complete repost since I believe we have very grave safety issue with current policies at my airline. If it is decided that fatigue was of a personal nature then pilots are punished by being given an 'occurrence' for that fatigue call. If you obtain 8 'occurrences' in a rolling year you will lose your job. When I was deciding if I was fit for duty and safe to operate a flight yesterday; I had to not only consider how I felt; but also what the company could do to me based on our current fatigue policy. If it is our legal obligation to call in fatigued when we are; then how can we as a pilot group also be punished for following this procedure. Having the company take action against a crew member who is acting on behalf of safety will only lead to pilots not calling in fatigued when they know that they are in fact unsafe to operate a flight. It is the very fact that the company's potential actions against me entered into my decision making process that I am filling out this report. It should not be like this. Company needs to change fatigue policy to make it non-punitive. No pilot should have an occurrence or action taken against them in any form as a result of calling in fatigue.
An air carrier Captain called in fatigued on the his sixth day of duty after scheduling added an additional round trip. As a result; the pilot was concerned about disciplinary action.