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Mechanics union sues American Airlines over breach of FAA rules

The lawsuit accuses American Airlines managers of pressuring mechanics to breach federally-mandated safety measures in order to keep airport schedules running on time.

By Fred Lambert
An American Airlines plane lands at O'Hare International Airport on November 5, 2014 in Chicago. Union mechanics filed a lawsuit against American Airlines on Thursday, January 22, 2015, alleging that managers pressured aviation mechanics to skip federally-mandated safety procedures in order to save time. UPI/Brian Kersey
An American Airlines plane lands at O'Hare International Airport on November 5, 2014 in Chicago. Union mechanics filed a lawsuit against American Airlines on Thursday, January 22, 2015, alleging that managers pressured aviation mechanics to skip federally-mandated safety procedures in order to save time. UPI/Brian Kersey | License Photo

CHICAGO, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- Members of an aviation mechanics union at American Airlines are suing the company and accusing some of its managers of pressuring mechanics to skip federally-mandated safety procedures in order to save time.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois by leaders of Local 591, a unit of the Transport Workers Union. The suit alleges American Airlines managers urged mechanics to skip safety measures such as bird strike, lightning strike and wing crack inspections; to ignore maintenance discrepancies; and to generally deviate from safety standards set by the Federal Aviation Administration in order to keep airport schedules running on time.

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Over 20 aircraft were allowed to fly in an "unairworthy condition," according to the suit.

The FAA said it was investigating the matter. The allegations first surfaced after seven mechanics filed whistleblower complaints months ago in Dallas and Chicago. Technicians said they brought the complaints to American Airlines management, but no action was taken at the time.

Union leaders at Thursday's hearing claimed the airline had intimidated union representatives from assisting in the FAA investigation, saying managers retaliated against the seven mechanics who first filed the complaint.

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American Airlines said the FAA "and their oversight team has not alerted us to any current critical issues or concerns," and that it works closely with regulators to ensure compliance with maintenance and safety regulations.

"We're just not seeing it; we're not hearing it," David Seymour, American Airlines' senior vice president who oversees aircraft maintenance, told the Wall Street Journal. "We spend a lot of time with groups out there and we're not seeing the same things that...are being alleged."

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