The U.S. Department of Labor ordered a California aviation provider to pay a former employee $958,000 and correct misinformation made by the employer in retaliation for reporting flight safety issues.
Pegasus Elite Aviation, of Calabasas, was found to have reportedly sent false reports that led to a termination and FAA suspension of a former employee, the Occupational and Safety Health Administration said in a March 2 news release.
“The U.S. Department of Labor will enforce the protections afforded to airline workers who do what’s right and raise their safety concerns,” said James Wulff, OSHA regional administrator in San Francisco.
OSHA has ordered Pegasus Elite Aviation to pay more than $898,000 in back wages and associated costs including $50,000 in emotional damages and $10,000 in attorney’s fees, the department said.
The former employee reported a safety issue that lead to an onsite inspection. In retaliation, the company reportedly sent a falsified and negative Pilot Records Improvement Act report to the worker’s new employer, violating the whistleblower provision, the department said.
Pegasus Elite Aviation also must send a letter of correction to the FAA and other employers who received the falsified report, removing the derogatory information.
The order may be appealed by Pegasus to the department’s Office of Administrative Law Judges.
OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of AIR-21 and 24 other statutes protecting employees who report violations of airline and many other occupational, securities, tax, antitrust and anti-money laundering laws.
