FORT VALLEY, Ga. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Labor says Fort Valley-based school bus manufacturing company Blue Bird Corp. will pay a settlement of more than $176,000 to an employee who claimed he was wrongfully terminated after raising safety concerns.
The department says Blue Bird will pay $170,800 in back pay to the employee, identified as Ricky Dye in court documents, plus interest.
Dye said he was asked to install Christmas wreaths for Blue Bird using a bucket lift truck. He asked for training on the equipment, which led to a disagreement with management, followed by the employee's termination.
Court documents show that Dye worked for Blue Bird from 1979 until 2004. He was reinstated as part of an earlier court ruling.
The company did not immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
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Information from: The Macon Telegraph, http://www.macontelegraph.com
