Comair mechanics withdraw from safety program, claiming airline wrongly punished workers

Comair mechanics withdraw from safety program

WASHINGTON — A union representing 530 mechanics and other workers at Delta Air Lines Inc.’s regional subsidiary Comair has pulled out of a voluntary safety problem-reporting program, accusing Comair of wrongly punishing whistle-blowers.

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers said it spent months talking to Comair and the Federal Aviation Administration before withdrawing from the Aviation Safety Action Program.

Under the program run by the FAA, airline employees are encouraged to report issues that could become safety problems with a promise of protection from punishment. The union said Comair had violated “the letter and the spirit” of the program by acting against workers who submitted voluntary reports.

Comair spokeswoman Christine Wever said the company supports the safety-reporting program, and that the company remains “committed to working with IAM union leadership to address their concerns regarding the program.”

Pilots at Delta and AMR Corp.’s American Airlines dropped out of the program for a while because of similar disputes between labor and management over alleged sanctions against employees who filed reports. Programs at those carriers were later revived after Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the former head of the FAA pressured the airlines.

The machinists represent 530 Comair employees in Cincinnati, Detroit, Boston, New York and Greensboro and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.