Former employees of an air medical transport company have recently come up with claims saying that they had to work shifts that lasted for seven days or even longer if they wanted to keep their jobs. Air Medical Resource Group is the parent company under which air ambulance providers like Guardian Flight and Eagle Air Med operate. The company stands accused of forcing its employees to work in unsafe conditions just so they could avoid hiring more personnel.
The Air Medical Transport Company Threatens Employees with Termination
Dave Cavins, who used to work for Air Medical Resource Group said that he was forced to work shifts and was threatened with termination. He retired from the air ambulance industry three years ago and now works as a nurse, claiming that AMRG is the reason he got out of the field. Cavins commented that he “does not want to die on the job”. He further said that being on call 24-7 means your mind won’t be fully functional even after the third day.
AMRG Shows Similar Patterns Across the Country
Affiliates of Air Medical Resource Group have received criticism for engaging in similar practices of overexerting their employees and not prioritizing on employee welfare. Jeremiah Sappington, a medic from North Dakota, had to quit two years back after he was forced to fly in bad weather. In addition to this, the medical director he was assigned was rarely available as he frequently went out of town.
Even in Hawaii, a pilot named James Stone was terminated from the air medical transport company in 2010 because he voiced his concerns about AMRG’s safety standards. In July 2016, however, the company ended up having to award Stone with $760,000 due to wrongful termination.
