ALK - Alaska Airlines Clashes With Union: Mechanic's Positive Marijuana Test Sparks Legal Battle | Benzinga
Last week’s news that the job of an Alaska Air Group, Inc. (NYSE: ALK)'s Alaska Airlines mechanic was to be restored after being terminated for testing positive for cannabis in July 2022 has taken a turn.
Alaska Airlines is now taking legal action against a mechanics union, challenging an arbitration decision that reinstated the 23-year-old Gregory Chappell. The airline argues that the arbitration board overstepped its bounds and made decisions not based on factual evidence, according to the lawsuit filed in a U.S. District Court in Washington state.
Lee Seham, the mechanics union lawyer, told Marijuana Moment on Friday that it's "extremely uncommon” for companies to dispute arbitration outcomes in federal court as they are usually seen as final.
What Happened
The legal fracas began when Chappell failed a random drug test on July 5, 2022, though he vehemently denied consuming cannabis and said he did not know how THC ended up in his system.
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