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独家:在两起重大死亡事件发生后,更多波音吹哨人挺身而出

Shawn Tully
2024-05-13

两位勇敢的吹哨人的死亡会激励更多的人站出来。

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图片来源:KEVIN DIETSCH—GETTY IMAGES

波音公司(Boeing)吹哨人律师布莱恩·诺尔斯和共同辩护律师罗布·特克维茨代理了这两名吹哨人的案件。吹哨人揭露了他们亲眼目睹的生产实践,随后在过去两个月中不幸身亡。美国南卡罗来纳州北查尔斯顿波音787工厂的质量经理约翰·巴内特死于他的道奇公羊(Dodge Ram)皮卡上,死因似乎是自残性枪伤,而波音机身供应商势必锐航空系统公司(Spirit AeroSystems)的质量审核员约书亚·迪恩在数天前因为意外感染耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌(MRSA)而导致致命葡萄球菌感染,最终不治身亡。

诺尔斯在接受《财富》杂志独家采访时表示,他和特克维茨所代理的一批新吹哨人将很快挺身而出。他说:“你很快就会看到更多的吹哨人挺身而出。在不久的将来,我们的客户,即波音公司、势必锐航空系统公司以及除势必锐航空系统公司之外的另一家供应商将有十多名吹哨人挺身而出。”据诺尔斯称,巴内特和迪恩令人震惊的死讯只会鼓励这些客户挺身而出。他补充道:“这些吹哨人把两位挺身而出的人物视为英雄,同时自己也冒着巨大的风险,承受着压力,而且可能会断送自己的职业生涯。他们很快就会像巴内特和迪恩那样,将他们所知的信息公之于众。”

由诺尔斯和特克维茨代理的其中一名吹哨人准备就绪,刚刚挺身而出。5月8日,曾经在2010年至2022年期间担任势必锐航空系统公司质量审核员的圣地亚哥·帕雷德斯告诉英国广播公司(BBC)和哥伦比亚广播公司(CBS),势必锐航空系统公司在运送波音机身时经常会发现50个到200个有缺陷的零部件。势必锐航空系统公司表示“强烈反对”帕雷德斯的说法。

诺尔斯说,新吹哨人包括现任和前任雇员。他表示,当员工发现波音或势必锐航空系统公司的流程和程序中存在他们认为会导致制造缺陷的漏洞时,首先会向管理层发出警告。但是,当高层未能采取员工认为需要采取的措施来纠正工作失误时,吹哨人向包括美国联邦航空管理局(Federal Aviation Administration)在内的联邦监管机构提出了投诉。

诺尔斯说,其中一位仍然在职的客户遭到了波音管理层的报复。诺尔斯称:“对报复行为的唯一补救措施是根据‘AIR21吹哨人保护计划’向美国职业安全与卫生管理局(OSHA)提交投诉,要求对遭遇恶劣工作环境进行赔偿。”他和特克维茨根据“AIR21吹哨人保护计划”,代表巴内特提交了投诉,这是美国劳工部(Labor Department)诉波音公司案件的预演,巴内特在死前两天为此作证。诺尔斯说:“即使员工不能根据‘AIR21吹哨人保护计划’提交投诉,他们仍然可以挺身而出。这种情况将会发生。”

诺尔斯指出,根据“AIR21吹哨人保护计划”提交投诉的行动必须在据称的报复行为发生后90天内提出。如果吹哨人的举报导致监管机构对波音或其供应商处以罚款,吹哨人就可能有权获得奖励。诺尔斯称:“如果政府希望人们成为吹哨人,监管机构就需要提供一些奖励,鼓励人们挺身而出。”

诺尔斯坚持认为,正是像巴内特和迪恩这样勇敢的人,才能让波音公司这台传奇的制造机器恢复最高的安全和质量水平。他表示,一批新吹哨人将很快延续他们的传统,“尽自己的一份力量”,完成他所说的“帮助波音和势必锐航空系统公司重回正轨,并保护乘坐飞机旅行的人群”的使命。(财富中文网)

译者:中慧言-王芳

波音公司(Boeing)吹哨人律师布莱恩·诺尔斯和共同辩护律师罗布·特克维茨代理了这两名吹哨人的案件。吹哨人揭露了他们亲眼目睹的生产实践,随后在过去两个月中不幸身亡。美国南卡罗来纳州北查尔斯顿波音787工厂的质量经理约翰·巴内特死于他的道奇公羊(Dodge Ram)皮卡上,死因似乎是自残性枪伤,而波音机身供应商势必锐航空系统公司(Spirit AeroSystems)的质量审核员约书亚·迪恩在数天前因为意外感染耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌(MRSA)而导致致命葡萄球菌感染,最终不治身亡。

诺尔斯在接受《财富》杂志独家采访时表示,他和特克维茨所代理的一批新吹哨人将很快挺身而出。他说:“你很快就会看到更多的吹哨人挺身而出。在不久的将来,我们的客户,即波音公司、势必锐航空系统公司以及除势必锐航空系统公司之外的另一家供应商将有十多名吹哨人挺身而出。”据诺尔斯称,巴内特和迪恩令人震惊的死讯只会鼓励这些客户挺身而出。他补充道:“这些吹哨人把两位挺身而出的人物视为英雄,同时自己也冒着巨大的风险,承受着压力,而且可能会断送自己的职业生涯。他们很快就会像巴内特和迪恩那样,将他们所知的信息公之于众。”

由诺尔斯和特克维茨代理的其中一名吹哨人准备就绪,刚刚挺身而出。5月8日,曾经在2010年至2022年期间担任势必锐航空系统公司质量审核员的圣地亚哥·帕雷德斯告诉英国广播公司(BBC)和哥伦比亚广播公司(CBS),势必锐航空系统公司在运送波音机身时经常会发现50个到200个有缺陷的零部件。势必锐航空系统公司表示“强烈反对”帕雷德斯的说法。

诺尔斯说,新吹哨人包括现任和前任雇员。他表示,当员工发现波音或势必锐航空系统公司的流程和程序中存在他们认为会导致制造缺陷的漏洞时,首先会向管理层发出警告。但是,当高层未能采取员工认为需要采取的措施来纠正工作失误时,吹哨人向包括美国联邦航空管理局(Federal Aviation Administration)在内的联邦监管机构提出了投诉。

诺尔斯说,其中一位仍然在职的客户遭到了波音管理层的报复。诺尔斯称:“对报复行为的唯一补救措施是根据‘AIR21吹哨人保护计划’向美国职业安全与卫生管理局(OSHA)提交投诉,要求对遭遇恶劣工作环境进行赔偿。”他和特克维茨根据“AIR21吹哨人保护计划”,代表巴内特提交了投诉,这是美国劳工部(Labor Department)诉波音公司案件的预演,巴内特在死前两天为此作证。诺尔斯说:“即使员工不能根据‘AIR21吹哨人保护计划’提交投诉,他们仍然可以挺身而出。这种情况将会发生。”

诺尔斯指出,根据“AIR21吹哨人保护计划”提交投诉的行动必须在据称的报复行为发生后90天内提出。如果吹哨人的举报导致监管机构对波音或其供应商处以罚款,吹哨人就可能有权获得奖励。诺尔斯称:“如果政府希望人们成为吹哨人,监管机构就需要提供一些奖励,鼓励人们挺身而出。”

诺尔斯坚持认为,正是像巴内特和迪恩这样勇敢的人,才能让波音公司这台传奇的制造机器恢复最高的安全和质量水平。他表示,一批新吹哨人将很快延续他们的传统,“尽自己的一份力量”,完成他所说的“帮助波音和势必锐航空系统公司重回正轨,并保护乘坐飞机旅行的人群”的使命。(财富中文网)

译者:中慧言-王芳

Boeing whistleblower attorney Brian Knowles, along with co-counsel Rob Turkewitz, represented both of the men who spoke out about manufacturing practices they witnessed, then died under tragic circumstances in the past two months. John Barnett, a quality manager at the Boeing 787 plant in North Charleston, SC, died of what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his Dodge Ram truck, and Joshua Dean, an inspector at Boeing fuselage supplier Spirit AeroSystems, perished after being stricken days earlier by the sudden onset of MRSA that caused a fatal staph infection.

In an exclusive interview, Knowles tells Fortune that a flock of new whistleblowers whom he and Turkewitz represent will soon step forward. “You’ll see more whistleblowers coming out soon,” he says. “More than ten whistleblowers who are our clients from Boeing, Spirit and another supplier besides Spirit will speak up in the near future.” According to Knowles, the shocking deaths of Barnett and Dean have only encouraged these clients to speak up. “They consider those two figures who put so much on the line to speak out as heroes,” he adds. “These whistleblowers are already putting a great deal at risk in terms of stress and potential damage to their careers, and will soon be getting their messages out publicly, just as Barnett and Dean did.”

One of the whistleblowers in the wings represented by Knowles and Turkewitz just stepped forward. On May 8, Santiago Paredes, who served as a quality inspector as Spirit from 2010 to 2022, told the BBC and CBS news that Spirit regularly shipped Boeing fuselages with 50 to 200 defective parts. Spirit says that it “strongly disagrees” with Paredes’ assertions.

The new group of whistleblowers are a mix of current and former employees, says Knowles. When the workers found what they deemed breaches in Boeing’s or Spirit’s processes and procedures that caused manufacturing defects, they initially alerted their managers, he asserts. But when the higher-ups failed to take the measures that in the workers’ view, were needed to correct the work, the whistleblowers filed complaints with federal regulators, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

One of the clients still on the job faced retaliation from Boeing management, says Knowles. “The only remedy for retaliatory conduct is to file what’s called an Air21 complaint with OSHA that seeks compensation for encountering a hostile work environment,” Knowles says. He and Turkewitz lodged an AIR21 claim on behalf of Barnett, the precursor to the Labor Department lawsuit versus Boeing for which he testified in the two days before his death. “But even if workers can’t file an Air21, they can still come forward. And that’s going to happen,” says Knowles.

Knowles notes that Air21 actions must be filed within 90 days of when the alleged retaliatory behavior occurred. If the reports from the whistleblowers result in fines against Boeing or its suppliers levied by regulators the whistleblowers may be entitled to rewards. “If the government wants people to become whistleblowers, regulators need to provide some incentive to come forward,” Knowles observes.

Knowles insists that it’s precisely the bravery of folks such as Barnett and Dean that’s needed to restore top levels of safety and quality to the legendary manufacturing machine at Boeing. And, he says, a new group of whistleblowers will soon perpetuate their tradition on a mission he describes as “all part of an effort to help put Boeing and Spirit back on the right track, and protect the flying public.”

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