Local 2003 Test Pilot Wins Reinstatement

Brother Brian Buchanan and Brother Tony Blevins

Brian Buchanan, a member of Local 2003, is being reinstated as a helicopter test pilot for Army Fleet Support (AFS) at nearby Fort Rucker, AL, after an arbitrator ruled he was wrongfully terminated for misreporting safety violations.

Despite a spotless record since joining AFS in 1998, Buchanan, who also serves as a Local 2003 Shop Steward, was fired in November 2007 for allegedly misreporting safety violations. According to District 75 Business Representative Tony Blevins, the company targeted him because he was a union steward and wanted to make an example of him during a transition from Army regulations to FAA regulations.

“We were dealing with Army regulations, FAA regulations and contract language,” said Blevins, who handled the complicated grievance. “We had very good witnesses that did an excellent job of explaining our case. We had a great deal of expertise in the matter, and it paid off.”

The grievance went all the way to the final step where an impartial arbitrator ruled Buchanan was using his best judgment as an experienced test pilot and ordered the company to return him to work with full back pay, an amount with overtime that could be as high as $85,000.