A federal agency has ordered a Norwalk air cargo carrier to pay nearly $8 million to nine former employees.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has also ordered Southern Air Inc. to withdraw the lawsuit it filed against the former employees.
OSHA says Southern Air filed a defamation lawsuit against the former employees last May after some of the workers raised air carrier safety concerns.
The nine are all former flight crew members who then filed a whistleblower complaint with OSHA.
OSHA says its investigation found that the company’s lawsuit was filed in retaliation for the workers’ protected activities under the whistleblower provisions of federal law.
The airline has 30 days to file an appeal with the U.S. Labor Department. (AP)
