OSHA orders American Airlines to reimburse sick pay to pilots

[Omaha Steve]

http://aviationblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/01/osha-orders-american-airlines.html

Terry Maxon

American Airlines has been ordered to reimburse two St. Louis-based pilots who took sick leave a year ago and then were forced to repay the money.

The U.S. Department of Labor said Tuesday its investigation found that "in both cases, the airline erred in rejecting medical documentation provided by the pilots and illegally recouped sick pay already paid to the pilots."

Said Charles E. Adkins, regional administrator for DOL's Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Kansas City:

A policy that forces pilots to make a choice between flying when they are too sick to do so or being retaliated against violates the law.

While OSHA is best known for ensuring the safety and health of employees, it is also the federal government's main whistleblower protection agency.

The airline and its pilots' union, the Allied Pilots Association, have had a long-running dispute over American's enforcement of its sick-leave policy. An arbitrator is weighing arguments in the latest disagreement.

FULL story at link.