After firing a Buddhist pilot for not going through a Christian-focused alcoholism recovery program, United Airlines has agreed to award that pilot back pay and change their policy for similar situations.

Airline to pay $305,000 after forcing Buddhist pilot to attend AA meetingsAirline to pay $305,000 after forcing Buddhist pilot to attend AA meetings | A drink on an airline
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After firing a Buddhist pilot for not going through a Christian-focused alcoholism recovery program, United Airlines has agreed to award that pilot back pay and change their policy for similar situations.
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The pilot in question, David Disbrow, had worked for the airline for decades, but in 2017, after being diagnosed with substance abuse, his pilot’s license was suspended pending completion of a recovery program. All of that would have been perfectly appropriate… until he began attending meetings for Alcoholics Anonymous specifically tailored for pilots and realized it was a religious organization. The famous “Twelve Steps” include giving yourself over to “God” or “a Power greater than ourselves.” His meetings were held in a Christian church.

That was a problem for Disbrow because he’s a Buddhist who didn’t want to pledge allegiance to religious views he didn’t hold, in a place where he didn’t feel comfortable.

He soon learned about a nearly identical program called “Refuge Recovery” that catered to Buddhists and asked United if that would be a sufficient alternative. They said no. It was Alcoholics Anonymous or nothing. That meant he couldn’t complete the treatment program, which meant he couldn’t get his job back.

In 2020, he sued the airline with the help of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The argument in the lawsuit was fairly simple: United didn’t say there was a substantive difference between the two recovery programs; they just forced Disbrow to go through the quasi-Christian one, which violated his civil rights.

(I happen to have an Associates degree in Addiction Studies. AA or Alcoholic's Anonymous and similar 12 step programs are supposed to be nondenominational. However, most groups are Christian oriented. A person's "higher power' doesn't have to be god. However many members are adamant about their religious beliefs and insist that religion, and a Christian religious belief is the only way to recover. However, on a per capita basis, those who choose a higher power other than god, usually have better long term recovery records.)