Lawsuit claims NY workplace bias laws don't apply to airlines

A trade group representing major U.S. airlines has sued a New York state civil rights agency accusing it of improperly trying to use state anti-discrimination laws to eliminate airlines' limits on paid sick leave for employees. The lawsuit, filed in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday is at least the fourth by Airlines for America to claim that states are improperly requiring airlines to provide paid leave for routine doctor's appointments and "transitory" medical conditions. A federal judge in Boston last year agreed with the group that a Massachusetts paid sick leave law was preempted by a federal law regulating airlines. The group also has lawsuits pending against Colorado and Illinois. Wednesday's lawsuit was prompted by an administrative complaint that the New York Division of Human Rights filed last November claiming American Airlines discriminates against flight attendants based on disability and sex by disciplining them for missing work over certain medical issues, including for routine pregnancy-related appointments. Airlines for America says a state anti-bias law does not cover those kinds of absences and that even if it did, the law is preempted by the federal Airline Deregulation Act, which bars states from adopting laws that affect the "price, route, or service" offered by an air carrier. Finding otherwise would lead to an increase in worker absences, which in turn would cause flight delays, cancellations, and longer lines at ticket counters and gates, the lawsuit says.<br/>