pilot termination overturned

Court Rules To Reinstate Pilot Who
Was Fired For Making Political Video


CINCINNATI (CN) – The 6th Circuit upheld the reinstatement of a pilot who was fired for making a political video of a pilot shooting a rifle at a DVD. Jason Piper, chairman of the airline union communications committee, said he made the video to express his opposition to a tentative agreement between the union and NetJets Aviation. The 29-second video displays the title “Contract Stress Relief – 10/10/04,” followed by a close-up of a semi-automatic rifle propped on the arm of someone wearing a blue uniform with three stripes. The pilot aims and shoots at a DVD called “The Contract is the Foundation for Success,” shattering it. The scene ends with the question, “Anyone care to guess how I voted?” Because Piper had posted a link to the video on an online bulletin board, NetJets officials saw the clip and called a meeting to question him about it. Piper told them it was meant as a joke, but NetJets fired him for acting “in an inappropriate and unprofessional manner demonstrating a total lack of judgment which resulted in inducing fears of workplace violence.” The circuit concluded that Piper’s actions were intended to make a political statement, not an implied threat of violence. See ruling in NetJets Aviation v. International Brotherhood of Teamsters via Courthousenews.com.