A lawsuit by an aircraft technician and his boss, who allege FedEx Corp. management ignored their complaints that the company put profits ahead ahead of safety, is groundless, a spokeswoman for the delivery service said today.
“These allegations have no merit and we will vigorously defend the lawsuit,” FedEx spokeswoman Connie Avery said.
Stanley Langevin and Mark Collins filed the whistleblower complaint last Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking unspecified damages. Collins, who is black and also is Langevin’s supervisor, additionally alleges racial discrimination.
Both men, who work at FedEx’s Los Angeles International Airport location, allege the company’s aircraft are not maintained according to Federal Aviation Administration safety requirements.
Langevin, who has more than 40 years experience as an aircraft technician and also is an Air Force veteran, says he was retaliated against when he complained about the condition of many FedEx aircraft.
“Langevin uncovered a calculated, illegal scheme by FedEx whereby FedEx routinely and knowingly returned non-airworthy aircraft to service despite the need for further repair/maintenance in order to comply with federal aviation regulations,” the suit alleges.
He alleges his employer “was more concerned with returning the aircraft to flight quickly and cheaply in order to increase their profits than with ensuring compliance with the federal aviation regulations.”
The suit alleges that supervisors routinely wrote Langevin negative memos, suspended him for “fabricated” reasons and coerced co-workers to come up with “dirt” against him so he could be disciplined and demoted.
Collins, a Navy veteran who fought in the Persian Gulf War during Operation Desert Storm, alleges he faced a backlash because he defended Langevin.
“Collins fully supported Langevin’s complaints and voiced his own complaints regarding the same illegal practices,” the suit alleges. “Collins further objected to and refused to be a party to FedEx’s pattern of retaliation against the whistleblowers.”
The plaintiffs further allege that Collins and other black employees were paid less than their non-black counterparts.
