[ad_1]
The case, which has not yet been reported, concerns Dickson's past as senior vice president of Delta Air Lines and a Delta pilot who claims that the company fought back against her after meeting him in 2016. .
Dickson did not disclose the case on his nomination questionnaire to the Senate Commerce Committee.
As the Delta Air Operations Manager, Dickson approved the dispatch of Pilot Karlene Petitt to a psychiatrist a few weeks after she reported to another Air Operations Officer a report of what she described as violations. from the FAA by Delta, according to documents.
The psychiatrist diagnosed Petitt as bipolar and the company immobilized him for more than a year. Two subsequent examinations revealed that she was not bipolar and that she was flying to Delta.
Petitt pursues Delta in an administrative case of the Ministry of Labor which is still pending.
In one statement, Dickson stated that he had ultimate responsibility for the decision to dismiss Petitt for a mental assessment and called it a "sound course of action." Dickson retired from Delta last year.
Petitt's lawyer, Lee Seham, testified that CNN Dickson had sanctioned what constituted retaliation against his client.
"It was a terrible mistake, but it was a terrible mistake that lasted a year and a half because of the lack of diligence that Captain Dickson accepted," Seham said.
Members of the Commerce Committee are reviewing the case, which they learned after Dickson's confirmation hearing on May 15, according to two committee members.
"Since the hearing of the nomination hearing with Mr. Dickson, the committee has received new information that deserves further study.The committee reviewed this information and asked the Department of Transport and at the White House to do the same, "said Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, chairman of the committee.
A member of the Democratic Committee described the matter as troubling, especially because it had been omitted from Dickson's questionnaire.
CNN repeatedly tried to contact Dickson but could not reach him for comment. The White House has not responded to the request for comment.
In another section that asked for "additional information, favorable or unfavorable, which you think should be disclosed as part of your application", Dickson replied: "None".
Delta denies that the company retaliated against Petitt by referring her to a medical examination after expressing her concerns.
"Our primary responsibility is to provide safe and secure travel for our customers and employees." The safety program is based on employee reports and all Delta employees are encouraged and empowered to report potential problems. retaliation against employees who raise concerns, "said Delta spokeswoman Catherine Simmons.
Dickson, who is about to lead the FAA in the midst of the controversy surrounding the Agency's previous certification of the Boeing 737 Max, has decades of experience in the aviation field as a former airline pilot. Air Force and Delta. training until his retirement last year.
Initial Complaint and Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder
Petitt's ordeal began more than three years ago when she compiled a list of concerns about Delta. In addition to being a pilot for decades, Petitt holds a PhD in aviation.
Petitt had attended various events and practices involving Delta employees, as well as training and planning practices that she believed contravened FAA standards.
She summarized her concerns in a report describing "many areas in which the safety culture and … compliance was in conflict with the requirements of the FAA (2013) and the core values of the airline," which 39, she introduced the Vice President of Flight Operations Dickson and Delta Jim Graham in January 2016.
In a statement, Petitt stated that Dickson said at that meeting: "Some people like to sit in the back of the room and throw spit flocks", which she interpreted as a disdain of his affirmations. Dickson stated in a statement that he did not remember making that statement.
A Delta Employee Relations Manager later interviewed Petitt in March 2016 about some of his claims, during which Petitt became frustrated and his eyes filled with tears, according to his lawyer. The official said Petitt thought "something serious will happen to him or a flight from Delta," according to documents.
Graham held a teleconference with this manager and other people and decided to found Petitt and impose a psychiatric assessment on him, with Dickson's approval, according to court papers and Petitt's lawyer. .
The assessment of mental health by a psychiatrist hired by Delta resulted in Petitt's diagnosis of bipolar disorder, which rendered him unable to steal.
Meanwhile, the FAA sent a letter to Petitt in September 2016 informing him that an investigation had corroborated one of his safety concerns. The FAA determined that Delta had not accounted for the "imbalance" of its employees, where the airline offered a flight to another employee, as flight time for the calculation of daily and weekly flight limits, which, according to the Petitt, could affect pilot fatigue. The FAA has not substantiated three of its other allegations.
While Petitt remained grounded, a group of doctors from the Mayo Clinic dismissed Delta's psychiatric assessment. Because of the disagreement, the Delta psychiatrist and Mayo Clinic physicians selected a neutral medical examiner who determined that Petitt was in good health. She started flying for Delta again in 2017.
Petitt's lawyer, Seham, stated that there was no doubt that the decision to found Petitt, supervised by Dickson, was tied to the safety report she had shared, which, in his view, amounted to retaliation. from Delta and sends a disturbing message to the company's pilots.
"What is the impact of security on the message sent to the 12,000 pilots who say you are sending a safety report to a psychiatrist?" Said Seham. "Captain Dickson did nothing to prevent what happened."
Seham added that he questions the thoroughness with which Dickson and Delta as a whole investigated Petitt's safety concerns.
In one statement, Dickson stated that he took "very seriously" Petitt's safety allegations and that he had instructed his colleague Graham to monitor and supervise the examination of his requests.
Dickson also said that his meeting with Petitt served as a catalyst for an audit of the company's safety. However, when asked in his testimony regarding specific determinations regarding some of Petitt's claims, Mr. Dickson stated that he did not recall or was not aware of it. not up to date.
Delta said a third-party auditor had reviewed the company's security processes in 2016 and had provided positive feedback. Petitt's problem of not correctly counting the dead time to the flight limits had already been resolved and corrected at the time of his investigation.
[ad_2]
Source link