American Airlines is engaging in “reprehensible” behavior against one of its own flight attendants after she became a pandemic whistleblower over the airline’s face shield ban, alleges a prominent labor rights activist and union strategist who has taken on the case.
Ray Rogers, director of Corporate Campaign Inc, claims Boston-based flight attendant Deidre Daudt has been subjected to management “hostility and irresponsible decisions” over her choice to wear a face shield in addition to a face mask at the start of the pandemic in 2020.
Deidre took her concerns to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration after a base manager allegedly told her that face shields were against AA’s uniform policy and made customers “feel uncomfortable”.
She first wore a face shield in May 2020 but was quickly taken aside by managers on four consecutive flights. The airline allegedly told her the face shield breached “image standards” and that Deidre should take an unpaid leave of absence if she didn’t feel safe at work.
At the time, flight attendants were classed by the federal government as essential workers and Deidre wanted to carry on flying.
American Airlines later warned its entire flight attendant workforce that wearing a face shield was strictly prohibited, citing FAA regulations, and threatened crew members with possible disciplinary action if they ignored the policy.
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