Aviation safety whistleblowers saw a welcome decision come out of the Administrative Review Board (“ARB”) of the Department of Labor (“DOL”) on January 31, 2013, in the case of Van v. Portneuf Medical Center.  The case, brought by helicopter mechanic Mark Van, alleged that Portneuf Medical Center (“PMC”) violated the anti-retaliation provisions of the Wendell [...]

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (“NTSB”) is currently pursuing information provided by a number of whistleblowers concerning air-safety issues with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, according to Kelly Nantel, the NTSB director of public affairs.  A lawsuit brought by one of those whistleblowers, Michael Leon, was discussed in an article published by Reuters.  In his [...]

An airplane pilot who was terminated after he blew the whistle on violations of the pilot certification process at Northern Illinois Flight Center (“NIFC”) obtained an order of reinstatement and an award of damages in the amount of $500,000 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) of the Department of Labor (“DOL”).  OSHA’s order [...]

A former United Airlines employee filed a lawsuit two weeks ago in Illinois’ Cook County Circuit Court, alleging that the company terminated him in retaliation for complaints that the airline routinely violated federal passenger boarding regulations.  According to ChicagoBusiness.com, Malcolm Hamilton worked for United Airlines from 1997 until his termination on July 12, 2010. Mr. [...]

On April 27, 2012, the Administrative Review Board (“ARB” or the “Board”) of the U.S. Department of Labor reaffirmed its policy of declining requests to reduce attorney’s fee awards merely because the amount requested is disproportionately larger than the damages recovered by a whistleblower.  This ruling underscores the significance of whistleblower’s access to counsel, and [...]

The Administrative Review Board (“ARB”) of the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) vacated another dismissal by an administrative law judge (“ALJ”) last week in a whistleblower case brought under the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (“AIR 21”).  In Nagle v. Unified Turbines, Inc., John Nagle alleged that Unified [...]

On January 31, 2012, the Administrative Review Board (“ARB”) of the Department of Labor (“DOL”) issued an opinion in the case of Luder v. Continental Airlines, Inc. The Board affirmed the decision of the Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) finding that Roger Luder, a former pilot for Continental Airlines, had been illegally retaliated against for blowing [...]

The Sixth Circuit ruled in favor of the employer yesterday in Yadav v. L-3 Communications Corp., a case brought under the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (“AIR21”).  The case involved an employee, Avinash Yadav, who alleged that he had been terminated in retaliation for complaining to his supervisors [...]

In decision issued on December 19, 2011, U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) Administrative Law Judge (“ALJ”) Russell D. Pulver found that So. Cal Precision Aircraft Inc. (“SCPA”) violated the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (“AIR21”) when it terminated an inspector two days after he filed a complaint with [...]

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) of the Department of Labor (“DOL”) reported today that it has ordered AirTran Airways to reinstate a pilot who was fired after he reported multiple mechanical issues that implicated aircraft safety.  OSHA also awarded the pilot more than $1 million in back wages, interest, and compensatory damages after [...]