US Airways calls it the latest tactic used by labor groups to gain the upper hand in contract negotiations, but California plane crash lawyers choose to see it differently. The US Airline Pilots Association, the labor union of US Airways, has taken out a full-page ad in USA Today, claiming that the airline tried to force a pilot to operate a potentially unsafe flight.
According to the ad, the incident occurred on June 16, when the pilot was asked to fly a nighttime transatlantic flight. The pilot refused, because the plane had a faulty electrical system. Both the backup power sources had failed, and it was simply too risky to fly. The plane ultimately flew, after repairs were made 7 to 8 hours later.
The US Airline Pilots Association ad offers stinging criticism about the deteriorating safety culture at US Airways. According to the union, the safety culture at the airline has been on a downward slide since the merger of US Airways with America West in 2005. Union members have been calling for the resignation of Paul Morrell, the safety chief at US Airways, because they claim he has been contributing to these deteriorating safety standards.
This is not the first time that US Airways labor unions have taken out an ad against the company. They did this back in 2008, when there was a dispute about pilots being ordered to take off with only the minimum amount of fuel on board. It is legal to fly with just the bare minimum of fuel on board, but that doesn’t mean that it’s safe.
That’s the point that the pilots are trying to make – that the autocratic style at US Airways overrides the concerns of experienced pilots with decades of experience to their credit, and possibly risking the safety of passengers. US Airways has responded to the ad by calling it a cheap tactic by the labor unions to advance their contract negotiations.
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