Citing the importance of maintaining the rights and dignity of airline employees, the Regional Airline Association (RAA) in joint comments with the Air Transport Association (ATA) asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to withdraw its planned rule requiring airlines to “directly observe” employee urination in certain instances, saying it borders on harassment..
RAA noted in the comments submitted to the DOT, the new invasive procedure should be withdrawn completely or confined to only those situations where the risk of specimen tampering is likely. Related Story
“Our member airlines have worked hard to develop corporate cultures built on trust and respect for employee privacy,” said RAA Vice President Scott Foose. “Several airlines indicate that they could lose highly qualified and completely innocent employees due to the intrusive nature of the new mandate – they will simply quit rather than be subjected to a procedure that borders on harassment.”