He has a disability, so it's a bit complicated:
http://www.cupelocal79.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/Attendance-Management-Memorandum.pdf
This is for the Inside workers. I was an Outside worker, and of course the mayor and councillors are non-union. But, I believe the principles are basically the same.
I was never on the program, so I don't really understand how it works, but there it is.
The absence management program is very similar to what many organizations implement in order to deal with excess absenteeism. Unless it is communicated well, it is often viewed as punitive to those with legitimate illness.
Typically, the goal of the program is to identify malingerers and abusers as well as those who actually may be in need of additional assistance. It encourages the manager to actually look at absences and trends as well as the reasons behind it.
For example, when I designed and implemented such a program, I communicated intent to all employees: I was very straightforward in stating the program was not intended to be punitive to those who had legitimate illness but it was designed to assist managers in identifying abuse so that non abusers weren't carrying the load for abusers AND it was designed to help managers identify those who required additional support, which was non punitive.
While met with scepticism initially, when everyone understood and witnessed the implementation, non abusers we're thankful because they knew abusers were being dealt with. For example, one employee used her entire bank over the summer. We advised her that her bank was exhausted and she was fine for a couple of months. Then came mid December and she came in with a note saying her back was sore and she needed to rest. We reviewed her attendance record for a couple of years and determined there was a definite pattern. Monday's and Fridays and before and after vacation or stats in the summer and like clock work over Christmas. This was when we discussed openly with her our concerns about the pattern, allowing her the opportunity to see our side and explain. Interestingly, the following year her attendance greatly improved.
In other instances, through discussion we were able to identify employees who were in need of employee assistance and referrals and we were able to work with people to manage their issues, which often weren't really illness, rather stressing situations they couldn't resolve on their own.
Without being part of management, I couldn't guarantee that the intent of the program, but if implemented with benevolent intentions, absence management is only intended to be punitive to malingerers.