Union calls for reinstatement of fired United flight attendants

[Omaha Steve]

X post in Labor & Socialist-Progressive

Photo of planes tail: http://www.trbimg.com/img-54b06af6/turbine/ct-cth-tail-cone-photo--osha-charge-ex-1-p-4-jpg-20150109/450/253x450
Grievances filed by a flight attendants union allege that 13 United Airlines flight attendants were unlawfully fired after refusing to fly on a plane that had “menacing” graffiti written in oil residue on the aircraft’s tail. (David Marshall, Handout)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/ct-united-flight-attendants-fired-0110-biz-20150109-story.html

By Gregory Karp
Chicago Tribune

The Association of Flight Attendants on Friday demanded reinstatement of 13 United Airlines flights attendants who were fired after refusing to fly on a plane that had "menacing" graffiti written in oil residue on the aircraft's tail.

The union said the flight attendants were wrongfully terminated. It filed grievances under its union contract with United seeking their reinstatement with full back pay and benefits restored.

Video: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ndn-video-page,0,3091608.htmlstory?ndn.trackingGroup=90921&ndn.siteSection=latimes_hom_non_sec&ndn.videoId=28328397&freewheel=90921&sitesection=latimes_hom_non_sec&vid=28328397


"As aviation's first responders and last line of defense, crew members have the right to report suspicious and unsafe activity without fear of reprisals from their employers," AFA International President Sara Nelson said, adding that the union has fought to achieve and defend whistleblower protections.

"These protections play a vital role in protecting workers and the general public, and this case could have serious implications for aviation safety and security," she said. "The bravery and commitment to safety of these 13 flight attendants must be applauded, not punished."

FULL story at link.

[chillfactor]

1. why is it that every time you post something....

it appear three times..what a waste of scrolling....

[moondust]

2. Obvious security breach.

If anyone needed to be fired it should have been some airport security personnel--not the flight attendants.

[Nye Bevan]

3. If these flight attendants are so afraid of a little graffiti scrawled in oil,

to the extent that they would refuse to fly, I would respectfully suggest that being a flight attendant is probably not the correct career choice for them.

[moondust]

4. How much suspicious tampering is okay

before heading up to 35,000 feet with 100+ passengers on board?

[Nye Bevan]

5. If "tampering" is "graffiti scrawled in oil"

then my answer is "any amount".

[KittyWampus]

6. these aren't pizza delivery vans with "wash me" scrawled in the dirt. Airplanes SHOULD

have security protocol around them. The graffiti indicates that security was breached.

[moondust]

7. And how would you know

that "graffiti scrawled in oil" is the extent of the tampering without a full inspection of the aircraft? The answer is--you wouldn't.

What if the graffiti instead said "Allahu Akbar"?

[Capt.Rocky300]

8. A "little graffiti scrawled in oil" is like...........

a little bomb joke in the airline business. It is no joke. The aircraft was eventually cleared and the flight attendants should have flown the trip following that determination if they could within their duty time limits. The real culprit is the maintenance personnel who scrawled the message and images in the greasy residue from the auxiliary power unit (APU) on the skin of the tail section. They are the only ones who get up that high and work on the APU or replace the white position lights.