Court Opinion

ID: 9582420
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 22:26:38.806064+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:37:47.071233
License: Public Domain

G. BARRY ANDERSON, Judge
(concurring specially).
I concur with the majority and agree with the conclusion that appellant’s state whistleblower claim is preempted by the federal Airline Deregulation Act. I write separately, however, to express my concerns with respondent’s use of the record and ad hominem arguments.
Respondent’s brief is replete with extreme factual assertions relating to appellant’s alleged participation in a mechanics’ work slowdown. For example, respondent alleges that, prior to appellant’s termination from employment, appellant “attempted to shield himself from slowdown accountability by reporting alleged maintenance irregularities to the airline and the FAA.” Respondent also alleges that although appellant’s conduct “did not result in flight cancellation, the purpose of [appellant’s] conduct — the disruption of air carrier service — is beyond cavil.” Finally, respondent alleges that appellant “was attempting to put half of the aircraft that [respondent] operated on the ground. [Appellant] arrogated on to himself command over a fleet of 180 aircraft. He would say when those DC-9s would fly.”
While appellant’s participation in the alleged “slowdown” can arguably be inferred from the circumstances, respondent fails to cite to any part of the record supporting these specific allegations. Parties before this court have an obligation under the rules of civil appellate procedure to cite to the specific part of the record that supports each factual assertion. Minn. R. Civ. App. 128.03
Although respondent argues otherwise, the record indicates that the FAA and respondent took some action to ameliorate certain “unairworthy” conditions identified by appellant as posing safety risks to re*564spondent’s aircraft. For instance, the FAA responded to appellant’s complaint about the use of certain fire-containment tape by issuing a “technical alert,” and, in response to appellant’s complaint concerning the charging of emergency-light battery packs, respondent amended its Boeing 727 maintenance manual and revised a chapter of its general engineering and maintenance manual. Because respondent took these steps, the FAA did not take further enforcement action “pursuant to [respondent’s] commitment to the proposed actions.” These corrective actions may have been relatively minor, but there seems to be no dispute that they were in response to appellant’s complaints.
I turn next to respondent’s ad hominem and irrelevant arguments against appellant and appellant’s counsel. Respondent claims, among other things, that “maintenance disruption is a time-honored collective bargaining stratagem among [respondent’s] unionized mechanics.” Further, respondent states that appellant “apparently has difficulty understanding appellate court opinions.” Both arguments are examples of non-sequiturs — fallacies of irrelevance.1 The circumstances surrounding appellant’s complaints are not relevant to the issues in this case and respondent’s use of appellant’s union membership, and union conduct in general, to impugn appellant’s legal argument is simply wrong.
There is little doubt that respondent was benefited here by competent, effective and aggressive advocacy. Although not directly related to the disposition of this case, because I have concerns with the form and expression of that advocacy, I concur specially.

. The personal attack, or argument ad homi-nem (Latin for "against the person"), attempts to undercut a claim by drawing unfavorable attention to the person making it. * * * An opponent's thesis is asserted to be wrong or unworthy of attention because of the opponent's character or situation. Such reasoning is fallacious because it does not address the truth or falsity of the proposition itself.
Robert Paul Churchill, Logic: An Introduction 465 (2d ed. 1990).
It is of course a matter of historical record and beyond dispute that labor unions have engaged in "slowdown” tactics or have engaged in other conduct determined to be wrongful. United Air Lines, Inc. v. Int’l Assoc. of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, 243 F.3d 349, (7th Cir.2001) (stating that the issu-anee of an injunction in favor of the airline was appropriate based on proof that IAM participated in, authorized, or ratified work slowdowns by some of its union members). And it is equally a matter of historical record and beyond dispute that employers have engaged in tactics or conduct determined to be wrongful. Advanced Constr. Services, Inc. v. N.L.R.B., 247 F.3d 807 (8th Cir.2001) (holding that an employer was found to have violated its duty to bargain lawfully by refusing to provide information to the local union affiliate).
But it is not necessary to resolve whether management or labor is on the side of the angels. As interesting as that philosophical question is, it is irrelevant to the only question at hand here — does preemption apply?