Westjet F/A Sues over Sexual Harassment by Pilot
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Good Evening All:
According to the CTV YVR video (link below) the number is up to six now.
WestJet workplace culture under fire | CTV Vancouver News
I find this posting from another web site worthy of reflection.
"The German language has a very interesting term "schadenfreude" which loosely translated means "taking pleasure in the misfortune of others". To be very succinct this is not the case in my writing as I am sorry to watch the work persona of every WestJet employee being tarred by the alleged incidents of 2008/2010 along with hearing about further allegations of six more flight attendants coming forward about the pilot in question. For those who have not worked in an airline environment news of ones bad behavior travels very fast in a small tight knit community. It will take more than "team building" to reestablish the trust between back end and front end.
The CEO of WestJet should in the case of the allegations being true along with to stop the hemorrhaging of bad news should unequivocally state publically that sexual harassment has no place in either the workplace or culture at WestJet. To aid in the healing the alleged whistleblowers/complainants should be reintroduced to the workplace along with a formal apology including formal assurances that this policy is reviewed in the next Annual Recurrent Training by all employees of WestJet. The final being if the pilot in question did do what was he alleged he should be terminated with cause."
According to the CTV YVR video (link below) the number is up to six now.
WestJet workplace culture under fire | CTV Vancouver News
I find this posting from another web site worthy of reflection.
"The German language has a very interesting term "schadenfreude" which loosely translated means "taking pleasure in the misfortune of others". To be very succinct this is not the case in my writing as I am sorry to watch the work persona of every WestJet employee being tarred by the alleged incidents of 2008/2010 along with hearing about further allegations of six more flight attendants coming forward about the pilot in question. For those who have not worked in an airline environment news of ones bad behavior travels very fast in a small tight knit community. It will take more than "team building" to reestablish the trust between back end and front end.
The CEO of WestJet should in the case of the allegations being true along with to stop the hemorrhaging of bad news should unequivocally state publically that sexual harassment has no place in either the workplace or culture at WestJet. To aid in the healing the alleged whistleblowers/complainants should be reintroduced to the workplace along with a formal apology including formal assurances that this policy is reviewed in the next Annual Recurrent Training by all employees of WestJet. The final being if the pilot in question did do what was he alleged he should be terminated with cause."
The shame does not belong to the victim. The shame belongs to the abuser .
Abusers can be cunning sociopaths and can fool even the most intelligent investigator. If what has happened in some church's ,college's and institutions is an example that the abusers can fool most people .Except those being abused.
Abusers can be cunning sociopaths and can fool even the most intelligent investigator. If what has happened in some church's ,college's and institutions is an example that the abusers can fool most people .Except those being abused.
I don't agree with a refresher in annual ground school/crm. I've kept my act together for 26 years. I have zero interest in listening to some instructor tell me that I need to keep my hands to myself. How about making an example of these people (if they are in fact guilty) and likewise, if management were guilty of not acting appropriate then they need to be held accountable.
Years ago for A.R.T. we all sat through AIDS in the workplace for one year and addiction problems for two years in a row but in the end there was a solid understanding of what they entail making all of us emphatic to those with those afflictions.
More to the point there were no more sick jokes about the above mentioned illness's as well
Good Morning All:
This is taken from another website on the ongoing allegations.
"The PR problem now is that this is becoming a regular story, with new people coming forward, new allegations, and the picture developing is no longer just question of one pilot and one flight attendant, but a systemic problem: Did Westjet create and maintain an environment where a few rogue individuals could act like predators and the worst punishment they would receive was to be separated at work from their prey?
If that's what forms in the public mind, it will do discernible damage to the Westjet brand and the willingness of some people to fly Westjet - some group and convention business will be the first to go, many organizations have codes of conduct they expect to be upheld. God forbid if it starts looking like Westjet actually protected predator pilots. That will hurt a lot in the pocketbook. This is, after all, 2016.
I don't think Greg's response was right. The airline has a Tylenol problem, and needs to double down on re-assuring the staff and public that this doesn't happen any more because it can't happen any more - the safeguards and deterrents in place are robust. Eight alleged victims sounds less like a lawsuit by a single FA and more like a systemic issue."
This is taken from another website on the ongoing allegations.
"The PR problem now is that this is becoming a regular story, with new people coming forward, new allegations, and the picture developing is no longer just question of one pilot and one flight attendant, but a systemic problem: Did Westjet create and maintain an environment where a few rogue individuals could act like predators and the worst punishment they would receive was to be separated at work from their prey?
If that's what forms in the public mind, it will do discernible damage to the Westjet brand and the willingness of some people to fly Westjet - some group and convention business will be the first to go, many organizations have codes of conduct they expect to be upheld. God forbid if it starts looking like Westjet actually protected predator pilots. That will hurt a lot in the pocketbook. This is, after all, 2016.
I don't think Greg's response was right. The airline has a Tylenol problem, and needs to double down on re-assuring the staff and public that this doesn't happen any more because it can't happen any more - the safeguards and deterrents in place are robust. Eight alleged victims sounds less like a lawsuit by a single FA and more like a systemic issue."
G'day.
Which website was this taken from - if you don't mind?
It appears to be an opinion of an employee from an airline - but not WJ -- A.C. no doubt, however his/her facts are incorrect according to today's news.
`
Which website was this taken from - if you don't mind?
It appears to be an opinion of an employee from an airline - but not WJ -- A.C. no doubt, however his/her facts are incorrect according to today's news.
`
This is taken from another website on the ongoing allegations
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Possibility of a class action: Lawyer considers class-action suit in alleged WestJet sexual assault case - The Globe and Mail
Here is the web site author is Dagger no idea of any affiliation but his writing is very succinct
http://theairlinewebsite.com/topic/4...estjet/?page=5
More of Dagger's thoughts and a news article he posted:
I'm sure people engage in sexual activity. It's as old as the human race and why we are here. And airline pilots and FAs? Well, a lot of FAs marry pilots, so yes, there is fraternizing. I submit to you that every company has office parties, every company has men and women from the same office, maybe the same department, meeting in the bar down the street. And bosses exert power over employees which can lead to a nasty workplace environment, not only for the predator and victim, but for all of their co-workers who know what is going on, and are angry or resentful of the central characters - I've seen the latter first hand.
In the Westjet case, the issue is one of fact- did the event occur as alleged. It's about consent (or lack thereof) by the individuals and compliance with the company's policy and the law. The nub of the Westjet issue are these questions:
1. What did the airline know about any of the victims, whether we are talking about one, two or nine?
2. When did it know?
3. How thorough and professional was the investigation or investigations?
4. Was evidence withheld from police?
5. Was remedial action required, and was it taken, and if remedial action was taken was it commensurate with the circumstances of the case (.i.e did it fit the 'crime'?
6. Were individuals in this case treated fairly, was dismissal justified for the plaintiff? Was Pilot M shielded from having to face the consequences of his actions?
7. Are Westjet's sexual harassment rules and complaints procedures robust, and are they applied diligently?
8. How high up the food chain did plaintiff complaint go? (I'd be subpoenaing every email the relevant officials ever sent or received going back to 2008)
9. Does Westjet have more to hide than the information in the public domain as of tonight?
And one more thing: Gregg's stock in trade is his swagger. Whereas someone like Calin almost never utters the word WestJet, Gregg always seem to be trying to stick it to Air Canada in his public declarations. It's very American-style.
Well, from my experience, sometimes guys who think they have oversize balls aren't the sensitive types who can empathize with people who tend not to be his or her sheeple followers. People with too much swagger often have narcissistic tendencies that blind them to some things around them - call it selective vision.
Lawyer considers class-action suit in alleged WestJet sexual assault case
By GLORIA GALLOWAY
Sean Herm, the lawyer for the former WestJet flight attendant Mandalena Lewis, says a potential class action suit would include other women lodging similar complaints against the company
The lawyer for a former WestJet flight attendant who alleges the airline failed to protect her from being sexually assaulted by a pilot says he is contemplating turning her suit into a class action that would include other women lodging similar complaints against the company.
"We are certainly considering it," said Sean Hern, the lawyer for Mandalena Lewis, who filed a statement of claim against WestJet in the Supreme Court of British Columbia last week.
"It just depends on how many women there are and what their circumstances would be," Mr. Hern said Monday. "It's something that certainly is on the radar."
A representative of the WestJet Professional Flight Attendants Association said additional women have "come forward" with allegations of assault to representatives of the union, which has yet to be certified. They have been referred to Mr. Hern, said the man, who did not want to be identified because of concerns about his own employment.
Mr. Hern would not confirm that he had discussed the case with other potential complainants, saying, "I don't talk about people who talk to me."
Ms. Lewis alleges in her statement of claim that the airline failed to protect her from being sexually assaulted by a pilot who was known to have assaulted another woman, that its officials did not discipline her alleged assailant, and that she was fired when she tried to find out how the company had responded to her complaint. None of the allegations has been proven in court.
WestJet officials say the company will "vigorously" defend itself against Ms. Lewis's claim. Company spokeswoman Lauren Stewart said on Monday that the company has not been contacted by other employees who are alleging assault.
Gregg Saretsky, WestJet's president, said in an online statement late last week that the safety of his employees is something he does not take lightly and that sexual assault is a serious matter.
Investigations of Ms. Lewis's allegations of sexual assault, and those of the second flight attendant, were conducted and subsequently closed, said Mr. Saretsky, but they are now being reviewed to ensure that they were diligently conducted and that no new information has come to light.
Emma Pullman, a strategist with SumOfUs.org, an international consumer watchdog, said that, over the weekend, 17,000 people signed her group's petition urging Mr. Saretsky to resign and calling on the company to enforce its policies on sexual harassment and assault. About 10,000 identified themselves as WestJet customers, Ms. Pullman said.
According to Ms. Lewis's statement of claim, a man referred to as Pilot M sexually assaulted her in 2010 during a layover in Hawaii. She says she reported the assault to WestJet officials but, rather than discipline or fire Pilot M, she was told "not to speak of the sexual assault to anyone else, out of concern for the pilot's privacy."
The claim says Ms. Lewis learned last year that another flight attendant complained to WestJet in 2008 of being assaulted by the same pilot. Ms. Lewis argues in her statement of claim that, had the company responded appropriately to that allegation, her own assault would not have occurred.
The court document goes on to say Ms. Lewis was fired in January of this year for "insubordination" based on the swear word contained in an e-mail she wrote to WestJet officials and a disconnected call to a WestJet manager that she had inadvertently dialled.
Ms. Stewart, the WestJet spokeswoman, said both Pilot M and the flight attendant who complained about being assaulted in 2008 have been take of the flight schedule while the company reviews the investigations it conducted into the alleged assaults. She would not say whether the two employees are being paid while they are grounded.
PacWest further t the last post I just saw this on the CBC website. Please keep in mind all news articles by a news organization is first vetted by the editor than the legal department for accuracy and legal concerns. The web link has a video taken from The National
WestJet's handling of sex assault claim left employees vulnerable, says fired flight attendant
WestJet's handling of sex assault claim left employees vulnerable, says fired flight attendant - Business - CBC News
Mandalena Lewis alleges she was sexually assaulted by a pilot while on a layover in Hawaii in 2010
By Ioanna Roumeliotis, CBC News Posted: Mar 07, 2016 6:24 PM ET Last Updated: Mar 08, 2016 12:06 PM ET
The feelings never left her: fear, anger, betrayal. Mandalena (Mandy) Lewis says it's been an emotional roller coaster since she reported being sexually assaulted six years ago, and especially since she learned she might not be the only former WestJet flight attendant to have made such allegations."I'm just disappointed," she said in an interview with CBC News in Vancouver. "They failed their employees. They failed their flight attendants. They failed to protect us."
Lewis is suing her former employer, claiming that after she reported that she was sexually assaulted by a pilot on a layover in Hawaii in 2010, WestJet Airlines did not properly investigate the allegation and chose to protect the pilot and eventually fired her for pursuing the matter.
"It was hell," she said in her first television interview. "It was real hell what I went through [to] try to seek justice and follow protocol on how to deal with this stuff."
'I was petrified'
Lewis claims she was assaulted during a Jan. 24, 2010, layover at the Makena Beach Resort in Maui. She says she accepted an invitation from the captain of her Vancouver-Maui flight to have drinks on the balcony of his hotel room. While she was there, he suddenly grabbed her and dragged her onto the bed and began groping her genitals, Lewis alleges.
"So, when we were at this point, of him on top of me on the bed and me screaming, him kissing my neck, my whole face being squished into the side of the bedding, I just ended up getting my feet under him, my heels, and I kicked, and then he fell backwards into the TV stand. I then got up and left," she said.
She has identified the pilot only as "Pilot M."
"I was petrified," Lewis said. "It's a moment where you realize how you think you fit in this world is not true … that someone can treat you like you are a thing, like you're just a thing."
Upon returning to Vancouver, her home base, Lewis reported the alleged assault to her managers and to the RCMP, who contacted police in Maui. The U.S. federal prosecutor in Maui laid charges, but Lewis said she was told the pilot can only be arrested if he returns to the island.
CBC news has confirmed there are charges pending against the pilot but could not verify the exact charges.
None of the allegations contained in the lawsuit have been proven in court.
Lewis said that when she reported the alleged assault, she thought the pilot would be fired and that the company would alert other employees and review its sexual assault policies.
"I thought this was going to go completely different," she said.
Pilot, flight attendant grounded
Lewis's civil claim, filed in B.C. Supreme Court last week, alleges that WestJet failed to adequately investigate or respond to her initial report.
WestJet CEO Gregg Saretsky said in a statement released last week that "investigations did take place on these matters, and they were subsequently closed."
"We are reviewing the investigations to ensure they were diligently carried out and no new information has come to light since the investigations were undertaken six years ago," he said in a statement posted on the company's blog.
A pilot and another flight attendant named in the lawsuit have been removed from active flying duty, but a WestJet spokesperson refused to say when the decision to ground the two staff members was made.
In his blog post, Saretsky said the decision to ground the two was made "out of concern for their well-being and the continued safe operation of the airline."
The Calgary-based airline also issued a statement last week stressing that it is committed to "maintaining a safe and harassment-free environment for its employees and guests and takes its obligation in this respect with the utmost seriousness."
On Monday, it reiterated that it is taking the allegations "extremely seriously."
"We are offering additional support and resources to make it as easy as possible for anyone affected to make a report by working with the police in Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver and encouraging employees to contact these or their local police departments," said WestJet spokeswoman Lauren Stewart in an email to CBC News.
Told to keep quiet
Lewis alleges in her lawsuit that the airline's only response to her allegation was to change her work schedule so that she did not have to work with the pilot.
She says the airline told her to keep quiet about her allegations out of respect for the pilot's privacy and told her the pilot was no longer allowed to fly to Hawaii — a move that Lewis says protects him from prosecution.
"They just said, 'We're really sorry. We don't have the capability to fire him. It's your word against him. We're really sorry, and we are going to try to deal with this the best way we can,'" Lewis said.
Lewis's fight might have ended there, but then last year, another flight attendant who had heard her pose a question about sexual harassment during a staff training session reached out to her and alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by the same pilot in 2008.
"I thought my incident was more or less isolated," Lewis said. "Once she told me this information, I knew right then and there … what they had told me was a lie. All of the emails and the fights that I was having with them about how they had dealt with my incident was just a lie.
"They didn't handle it at all. They kept telling me, 'Well, it was my word against his.' Well, you have another word from another woman, at the very least."
Fired in January
Lewis said she demanded to see her employment record to determine whether WestJet took any action following her complaint. In January, after three months passed without a response, Lewis sent an email to the company, which contained a swear word, asking for her record. She was fired later that same day for insubordination.
WestJet plans to file a statement of defence in the next few weeks. The company says it has not heard of any other complaints since Lewis filed her suit.
But CBC News has learned that seven other women have reported similar accounts of sexual assault, some involving the same pilot, to the WestJet Professional Flight Attendants Association, an employee organization that has been working to unionize flight attendants at the airline.
With files from Kazi Stastna and Jennifer Barr
WestJet's handling of sex assault claim left employees vulnerable, says fired flight attendant
WestJet's handling of sex assault claim left employees vulnerable, says fired flight attendant - Business - CBC News
Mandalena Lewis alleges she was sexually assaulted by a pilot while on a layover in Hawaii in 2010
By Ioanna Roumeliotis, CBC News Posted: Mar 07, 2016 6:24 PM ET Last Updated: Mar 08, 2016 12:06 PM ET
The feelings never left her: fear, anger, betrayal. Mandalena (Mandy) Lewis says it's been an emotional roller coaster since she reported being sexually assaulted six years ago, and especially since she learned she might not be the only former WestJet flight attendant to have made such allegations."I'm just disappointed," she said in an interview with CBC News in Vancouver. "They failed their employees. They failed their flight attendants. They failed to protect us."
Lewis is suing her former employer, claiming that after she reported that she was sexually assaulted by a pilot on a layover in Hawaii in 2010, WestJet Airlines did not properly investigate the allegation and chose to protect the pilot and eventually fired her for pursuing the matter.
"It was hell," she said in her first television interview. "It was real hell what I went through [to] try to seek justice and follow protocol on how to deal with this stuff."
'I was petrified'
Lewis claims she was assaulted during a Jan. 24, 2010, layover at the Makena Beach Resort in Maui. She says she accepted an invitation from the captain of her Vancouver-Maui flight to have drinks on the balcony of his hotel room. While she was there, he suddenly grabbed her and dragged her onto the bed and began groping her genitals, Lewis alleges.
"So, when we were at this point, of him on top of me on the bed and me screaming, him kissing my neck, my whole face being squished into the side of the bedding, I just ended up getting my feet under him, my heels, and I kicked, and then he fell backwards into the TV stand. I then got up and left," she said.
She has identified the pilot only as "Pilot M."
"I was petrified," Lewis said. "It's a moment where you realize how you think you fit in this world is not true … that someone can treat you like you are a thing, like you're just a thing."
Upon returning to Vancouver, her home base, Lewis reported the alleged assault to her managers and to the RCMP, who contacted police in Maui. The U.S. federal prosecutor in Maui laid charges, but Lewis said she was told the pilot can only be arrested if he returns to the island.
CBC news has confirmed there are charges pending against the pilot but could not verify the exact charges.
None of the allegations contained in the lawsuit have been proven in court.
Lewis said that when she reported the alleged assault, she thought the pilot would be fired and that the company would alert other employees and review its sexual assault policies.
"I thought this was going to go completely different," she said.
Pilot, flight attendant grounded
Lewis's civil claim, filed in B.C. Supreme Court last week, alleges that WestJet failed to adequately investigate or respond to her initial report.
WestJet CEO Gregg Saretsky said in a statement released last week that "investigations did take place on these matters, and they were subsequently closed."
"We are reviewing the investigations to ensure they were diligently carried out and no new information has come to light since the investigations were undertaken six years ago," he said in a statement posted on the company's blog.
A pilot and another flight attendant named in the lawsuit have been removed from active flying duty, but a WestJet spokesperson refused to say when the decision to ground the two staff members was made.
In his blog post, Saretsky said the decision to ground the two was made "out of concern for their well-being and the continued safe operation of the airline."
The Calgary-based airline also issued a statement last week stressing that it is committed to "maintaining a safe and harassment-free environment for its employees and guests and takes its obligation in this respect with the utmost seriousness."
On Monday, it reiterated that it is taking the allegations "extremely seriously."
"We are offering additional support and resources to make it as easy as possible for anyone affected to make a report by working with the police in Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver and encouraging employees to contact these or their local police departments," said WestJet spokeswoman Lauren Stewart in an email to CBC News.
Told to keep quiet
Lewis alleges in her lawsuit that the airline's only response to her allegation was to change her work schedule so that she did not have to work with the pilot.
She says the airline told her to keep quiet about her allegations out of respect for the pilot's privacy and told her the pilot was no longer allowed to fly to Hawaii — a move that Lewis says protects him from prosecution.
"They just said, 'We're really sorry. We don't have the capability to fire him. It's your word against him. We're really sorry, and we are going to try to deal with this the best way we can,'" Lewis said.
Lewis's fight might have ended there, but then last year, another flight attendant who had heard her pose a question about sexual harassment during a staff training session reached out to her and alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by the same pilot in 2008.
"I thought my incident was more or less isolated," Lewis said. "Once she told me this information, I knew right then and there … what they had told me was a lie. All of the emails and the fights that I was having with them about how they had dealt with my incident was just a lie.
"They didn't handle it at all. They kept telling me, 'Well, it was my word against his.' Well, you have another word from another woman, at the very least."
Fired in January
Lewis said she demanded to see her employment record to determine whether WestJet took any action following her complaint. In January, after three months passed without a response, Lewis sent an email to the company, which contained a swear word, asking for her record. She was fired later that same day for insubordination.
WestJet plans to file a statement of defence in the next few weeks. The company says it has not heard of any other complaints since Lewis filed her suit.
But CBC News has learned that seven other women have reported similar accounts of sexual assault, some involving the same pilot, to the WestJet Professional Flight Attendants Association, an employee organization that has been working to unionize flight attendants at the airline.
With files from Kazi Stastna and Jennifer Barr
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This entire matter is a can of worms, legally. What did or did not take place in a hotel room in another country will never be proven. Also, people are quick to forget the PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE.
My only question, is that if this assault was as serious as is alleged, why on earth did the FA not report it to the local police immediately????? It is a Criminal matter, not one to be dealt with as a work-related complaint.
Sorry, but I do smell an oversized rodent here.
My only question, is that if this assault was as serious as is alleged, why on earth did the FA not report it to the local police immediately????? It is a Criminal matter, not one to be dealt with as a work-related complaint.
Sorry, but I do smell an oversized rodent here.
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Yes.... bad old AC is out to get you westjetters as usual....sigh.
Last edited by hr2pilot; 8th Mar 2016 at 20:28.
Yes.... bad old AC is out to get you westjetters as usual....sigh.
To assume any comment deriding AC's 'fans' for a gossipy chat on - OMG one of Gloria Allred's clients - comes from a 'westjetter' is rather revealing about the AC poster from the wetcoast ... since being a west coaster and a NON 'westjetter' it was a laugh out loud moment ...
thanks hr2
PacWest further t the last post I just saw this on the CBC website. Please keep in mind all news articles by a news organization is first vetted by the editor than the legal department for accuracy and legal concerns. The web link has a video taken from The National
WestJet's handling of sex assault claim left employees vulnerable, says fired flight attendant
WestJet's handling of sex assault claim left employees vulnerable, says fired flight attendant
Oh, the irony!
Saint John woman will now only fly WestJet
From <Air Canada refuses to disclose sexual assault policy - New Brunswick - CBC News>
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Well, the CTV had good go at WestJet yesterday. Extensive feature report about WJ pilot fatigue. The way they carried on, you'd think the pilots at every other carrier were habitually as fresh as a daisy.
This, or course, negates the current cause celebre; WestJet pilots are just too tired. (TIC)
This, or course, negates the current cause celebre; WestJet pilots are just too tired. (TIC)
330 pilot -- this article was also in CBC's investigative section yesterday as well.
Oh, the irony!
Saint John woman will now only fly WestJet
From <Air Canada refuses to disclose sexual assault policy - New Brunswick - CBC News>
Oh, the irony!
Saint John woman will now only fly WestJet
From <Air Canada refuses to disclose sexual assault policy - New Brunswick - CBC News>
I read this several times and the context is about a female passenger who was groped by another male passenger.
She reported it to the In Charge who in turn advised the Captain who in turn passed this on to the Company who in turn advised the police. The male passenger was arrested charged with a lesser offence and fined a $1000:00.
Should this ne treated as a separate thread? I am happy to see this was reported and the individual in question now has a record for this behavior,
So what did Team Red do wrong here?
Good Morning All:
A very thought provoking posting by Dagger on the AEF. So for the "select some" how would you react to this?
We'll deal with the outcomes when they are known, but if there are multiple cases against Pilot M, and there seem to be, then there is a likelihood that his behaviour was at the very least harassment. Whether that is sufficient to stand up to the legal standards for harassment is another thing. But I don't know who Pilot M is, wouldn't recognize him, so to this point, this is something largely known to those within the company.
I also find some of you too easily slip into the mode of blaming and shaming the woman, even suggesting that maybe she is a woman scorned, or someone who took an innocent advance and turned it into a feminist cause. Frankly, I wonder how some of you male pilots would react if a male captain grabbed you an throw you on your stomach on a bed and tried to pull down your pants. I bet you'd come out of that experience feeling pretty angry and or depressed at the victimization to which you'd been suggested. I doubt some of you would have the courage to admit a man preyed on you. It took a lot for the male victims of priest abuse to come forward, too.
A very thought provoking posting by Dagger on the AEF. So for the "select some" how would you react to this?
We'll deal with the outcomes when they are known, but if there are multiple cases against Pilot M, and there seem to be, then there is a likelihood that his behaviour was at the very least harassment. Whether that is sufficient to stand up to the legal standards for harassment is another thing. But I don't know who Pilot M is, wouldn't recognize him, so to this point, this is something largely known to those within the company.
I also find some of you too easily slip into the mode of blaming and shaming the woman, even suggesting that maybe she is a woman scorned, or someone who took an innocent advance and turned it into a feminist cause. Frankly, I wonder how some of you male pilots would react if a male captain grabbed you an throw you on your stomach on a bed and tried to pull down your pants. I bet you'd come out of that experience feeling pretty angry and or depressed at the victimization to which you'd been suggested. I doubt some of you would have the courage to admit a man preyed on you. It took a lot for the male victims of priest abuse to come forward, too.
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WJ retains Ernst and Young for independent review of procedures:
WestJet sex assault allegations lead to review of procedures - British Columbia - CBC News
WestJet sex assault allegations lead to review of procedures - British Columbia - CBC News
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There is no good intro for me to write, so I'll just jump in.
WestJet had to be very, very careful with this situation. The court of public opinion was going to throw them under the bus no matter what they did.
Had WestJet fired the pilot, as Ms. Lewis suggests they should have, that pilot would have had grounds to sue WestJet for wrongful dismissal with the information we have at hand. A "he said, she said" situation, even under the umbrella of a sexual assault complaint is not grounds for dismissal. WestJet then would look like a hard-handed company, serving justice without evidence. We would then say they must be a horrible company to work for and consumers would want to see protection for the employees.
With WestJet not firing the pilot, they look like a company stuck in the 1950's...The "old boys club," as it were.
This is WestJet's version of the Kobayashi Maru; a no-win scenario.
But here is the thing. We don't know what evidence was presented to WestJet at the time of this complaint. All we know is that Ms. Lewis complained to WestJet and the police. The fact that Hawaii chose to issue an arrest warrant does not imply guilt on the part of the pilot. The fact that WestJet separated the pilot and flight attendant from working with one another could simply be the end result of an investigation which was not able to collect sufficient evidence to dismiss the pilot, so they elected the "safe" option of distancing their two employees - that's all they could do. Their hands may have been tied. The fact they refused to send the pilot to Hawaii - seriously? No company is going to do that and no employee would accept such a flight. Oh gee, I'm scheduled to Honolulu today...I've got hemorrhoids, sorry can't go. Be realistic.
The fact that Ms. Lewis was fired may have no bearing on this. It may. But maybe, just maybe WestJet had cause to fire her. Just because she made a sexual assault complaint does not give her a shield of protection from future wrong doing. We just don't know as we only have her word.
Now, more women are coming forward with complaints of sexual harassment and assault. If indeed it happens to be about the same pilot, then there are serious questions that need to be answered - and it should go all the way to the top. Even if its not the same pilot, there are questions to be answered.
Sexual Assault and Harassment is a horrible thing. But the accused is still innocent until proven guilty and deserves their day in court.
My post may come off as we being on the side of WestJet. I'm not. If they hid something under the carpet to protect a pilot then there are people inside the Campus who should go to jail. But at the same time I do not take a sexual assault complaint to be gospel. As hard as it is to relieve the pain, that is what our justice system requires. It's by no means fair to the victim, but it does protect the accused from false allegations.
WestJet had to be very, very careful with this situation. The court of public opinion was going to throw them under the bus no matter what they did.
Had WestJet fired the pilot, as Ms. Lewis suggests they should have, that pilot would have had grounds to sue WestJet for wrongful dismissal with the information we have at hand. A "he said, she said" situation, even under the umbrella of a sexual assault complaint is not grounds for dismissal. WestJet then would look like a hard-handed company, serving justice without evidence. We would then say they must be a horrible company to work for and consumers would want to see protection for the employees.
With WestJet not firing the pilot, they look like a company stuck in the 1950's...The "old boys club," as it were.
This is WestJet's version of the Kobayashi Maru; a no-win scenario.
But here is the thing. We don't know what evidence was presented to WestJet at the time of this complaint. All we know is that Ms. Lewis complained to WestJet and the police. The fact that Hawaii chose to issue an arrest warrant does not imply guilt on the part of the pilot. The fact that WestJet separated the pilot and flight attendant from working with one another could simply be the end result of an investigation which was not able to collect sufficient evidence to dismiss the pilot, so they elected the "safe" option of distancing their two employees - that's all they could do. Their hands may have been tied. The fact they refused to send the pilot to Hawaii - seriously? No company is going to do that and no employee would accept such a flight. Oh gee, I'm scheduled to Honolulu today...I've got hemorrhoids, sorry can't go. Be realistic.
The fact that Ms. Lewis was fired may have no bearing on this. It may. But maybe, just maybe WestJet had cause to fire her. Just because she made a sexual assault complaint does not give her a shield of protection from future wrong doing. We just don't know as we only have her word.
Now, more women are coming forward with complaints of sexual harassment and assault. If indeed it happens to be about the same pilot, then there are serious questions that need to be answered - and it should go all the way to the top. Even if its not the same pilot, there are questions to be answered.
Sexual Assault and Harassment is a horrible thing. But the accused is still innocent until proven guilty and deserves their day in court.
My post may come off as we being on the side of WestJet. I'm not. If they hid something under the carpet to protect a pilot then there are people inside the Campus who should go to jail. But at the same time I do not take a sexual assault complaint to be gospel. As hard as it is to relieve the pain, that is what our justice system requires. It's by no means fair to the victim, but it does protect the accused from false allegations.
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WestJet's side of the story: victim is far from perfect according to WJ:
WestJet denies Mandy Lewis's allegations about sex assault coverup - British Columbia - CBC News
A long way off. Civil actions involve examinations for discovery, among other things, and can take years before an actual trial.
WestJet denies Mandy Lewis's allegations about sex assault coverup - British Columbia - CBC News
When is the next court date ?
