In Dominican Custody, Pilots, Flight Attendants Kept on the Move with Security Detail

The Airline Division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has emphatically announced its concern over a pair of missing members who have been held in custody since a brouhaha involving contraband smuggled aboard their aircraft. 

The story is an unusual one, in which Pivot Airlines personnel, 2 flight attendants, 2 pilots, and a mechanic have been held in the country with no option to leave. The story began when the crew discovered 200 kilos of suspected contraband inside the plane, and reported it to both the Dominican government and the RCMP on April 5. CUPE says they saved the aircraft from a possible onboard fire or an air disaster due to the placement of the material on the aircraft. Of course, in karmic fashion,  their good deed has not gone unpunished by Dominican enforcement. They were first held in detention for 10 days, and upon being "freed" they were then barred from leaving the country altogether. After complaints about their treatment, the Dominicans have allowed the crew to go into a sort of witness protection, being bounced around the country in private. It should not be surprising that whomever lost 200 kilos of contraband is none too happy about the loss. 

CUPE maintains that this procedure effectively punishes personnel for doing the right thing, and Dominican authorities have indicated that the crew could well be kept in the country for as long as a year while the investigation continues. Airline division president Wesley Lesosky is displeased with the outcome. “Our members followed the rules and did everything by the book, and yet this still happened, which is gravely concerning. The continued threats and prosecution of the Pivot Airlines crew raises serious concerns for all Canadian travelers and employees traveling to and working in the Dominican Republic.” 

Lesosky described the situation as "completely unacceptable,” adding “We remain extremely concerned for the safety and security of our members, and we will continue working with Pivot, as we have since day one, in our fight to bring our members home.”

A number of bodies have signed a petition calling on the Canadian federal government to do everything in its power to bring members and crew home, including Pivot, Unifor, and ALPA. 

FMI: www.cupe.ca