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A Jazz Aviation pilot terminated for falsely accusing his union of both taking bribes from the company and using its children’s charity to launder money has lost his bid to get his job back.

The regional airline fired Capt. Gregory Kenny in May 2019. Kenny — who had been with the airline and its predecessors for 29 years — grieved his termination and the case went to arbitration.

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“Even if there was no just cause, or a determination that termination was too severe a penalty for this long-service employee — and the opposite conclusion is reached — reinstatement would not be an option,” William Kaplan, the arbitrator, said in a recent decision dismissing the case.

“By repeatedly making these false allegations (Kenny) has made reinstatement impossible. Being a pilot is a safety sensitive position and requires the trust and confidence of the other pilot on the flight deck.”

Jazz Aviation pilots are represented by the Air Line Pilots Association.

Jazz argued that it had just cause for terminating Kenny, while the union argued there was no just cause, and if there was any cause for discipline, termination was excessive.

The company fired Kenny for both his “on- and off-duty conduct,” said the decision.

“Through comments and a widely circulated email, the company asserted that (Kenny) brought the company’s reputation into disrepute: without any evidence whatsoever, (Kenny) accused the company of bribing union officials to obtain favourable...

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