ARTs sue Wynne over uniform policy - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

ARTs sue Wynne over uniform policy

A conglomeration of union chapters representing Air Reserve technicians has filed a civil suit against Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne, attempting to overturn the decision requiring ARTs to wear military uniforms while in civilian capacity.

Read the complaint

Lt. Gen. John Bradley, chief of the Air Force Reserve, implemented the change Aug. 7 to the dismay of many of the service’s roughly 10,000 ARTs.

The new policy took effect immediately but was fought by many of the 6,600 unionized ARTs. An online petition collected over 2,700 signatures.

At the time, Bradley dismissed objections to the new policy, which he said was an idea of his to improve Total Force interoperability.

“This is not a negotiation about whether we're going to do it. The decision is made. We're going to do it," he told Air Force Times.

The ARTs fighting the policy worried that wearing their uniforms in their civilian capacity would put them under the jurisdiction of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and that it could create chain-of-command issues, as ARTs may hold higher military rank than civilian rank.

On an emotional level, many ARTs took umbrage to the tone of an April 18 memo introducing the change. The memo suggested that putting ARTs in uniform full\ time would ensure “good order and discipline,” especially among the maintenance workers.

The lawsuit challenges that the policy change was “arbitrary and capricious” and opposed by U.S. statute.

Neither Wynne, nor officials at Air Force Reserve Command nor counsel for the plaintiffs could be reached immediately for comment.

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