The suit was originally filed on July 14, 2017 by named plaintiff, Jayson Huntsman in California federal court. In the complaint, Huntsman alleged that Southwest failed to provide accrued sick leave to pilots who took short-term military leave, but did provide sick leave to pilots who took comparable forms of leave for bereavement, union duty or jury duty. The plaintiff argued that since Southwest provides sick leave for the above reasons it must, under the USERRA, also provide paid sick leave for pilots out on STML. USERRA provides that employees who take military leave are entitled to the same rights and benefits an employer provides to employees who are on furlough or leave of absence. Huntsman also alleges that Southwest similarly denied pilots who took STML employer contributions to their 401(k) retirement plans.

According to the complaint and subsequent settlement filing, until December 31, 2016, Southwest made contributions to pilots’ 401(k) retirement accounts with a maximum matching rate of 9.3% of pilot contributions. However, plaintiff argues that Southwest had a pattern or practice of refusing to tell its pilots their deemed earnings for periods of STML, therefore making it difficult for pilots whose earnings vary depending on their weekly flight schedules, to obtain the information needed to calculate the correct percent of missed contributions. To bolster his argument, Huntsman pointed out that the USERRA states that employees who return from military leave must be allowed to make and have matched 401(k) contributions based on compensation they would have earned during military leave.

If approved by the court the $18.8 million settlement will be broken down into around $6 million in retirement payments and almost $13 million in sick leave repayment. 

Credits: Southwest

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The crash happened in the city of Radom, central Poland, on Thursday, the ministry said on Friday.

The General Command of the Armed Forces said the accident involved an aircraft from the 31st Tactical Air Base near the city of Poznan and that there were no injuries to any bystanders.

“Rescue operations were immediately initiated at the scene,” it added.

“A Polish Army pilot died in the crash of an F-16 aircraft – an officer who always served his country with dedication and great courage. I pay tribute to his memory,” Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz wrote on X after arriving at the crash scene.

Boy and girl killed in US Catholic school shooting named UN staff pressure human rights chief to call Gaza a genocide People stand near the scene where a Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed during a rehearsal for an airshow in Radom, Poland.

Footage obtained by Polish media showed the F-16 performing a barrel roll aerobatic maneuver, before crashing in flames as it slid on the ground.

A Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jet has crashed during a rehearsal for an airshow in Radom, Poland. Pic: Agencja Wyborcza.pl/Marcin Kucewicz/Reuters

According to local media, the aircraft crashed onto the runway at approximately 5.30pm GMT.

As a result, the Radom Airshow scheduled for the weekend has been cancelled.

Credit: Sky News

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