LOS ANGELES – A former Black Envoy Air Inc. worker is suing the company, alleging she was wrongfully fired in 2021 for complaining about being rushed through stored aircraft safety inspections.
Plaintiff Faatima Saleema Floyd’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to prevent discrimination, harassment and retaliation, breach of contract and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The 34-year-old Floyd seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in the suit brought Tuesday.
A representative for Envoy Air — a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group — did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Floyd was hired in May 2016 as a fleet service clerk and her duties were to conduct safety inspections on stored aircraft, the suit states. She spoke out when believed she was being hurried by supervisors to sign her approval of the safety checks, the suit states.
In November 2020, Floyd was asked to complete a safety check for a cargo flight she needed about two hours to complete it, the suit states. However, she was only given two crew members for the job and was told to perform the task in 45 minutes, according to the suit.
When Floyd explained to a supervisor that 45 minutes was not enough time, the boss replied, “You know what to do. Go in there and make it look good. It’s a cargo flight. You don’t need to go through everything since there were no passengers,” the suit states.
Throughout Floyd’s employment, the supervisor spoke to Floyd and other minority employees in a different tone of voice and used offensive language, including “Hey, Faatima girl,” when calling the plaintiff while trying to sound like a Black woman, the suit states.
When a similar safety check incident happened a short time later with another boss, Floyd did not receive any cargo aircraft assignments for a few months, according to the suit.
In a safety check in July 2021, involving a third supervisor and a check involving an international flight, Floyd spoke out over the boss’ criticism of the pace of her team’s work, saying, “We ask management for support, but it’s never given,” the suit states.
Floyd denied the supervisor’s insinuation that she used foul language toward her boss, saying, “I don’t have a personal issue with you, but, in terms of this, it’s personal when it comes to the job.”
In a November 2021 meeting with a fourth supervisor, Floyd was told she was being fired for aggressive behavior toward a manager, the suit states.
Floyd responded, “I know I questioned things and that’s why I’m being terminated,” the suit states.
Floyd continues to suffer humiliation, emotional distress, and physical pain because of her firing, the suit states.
