As this summer’s sweltering temperatures persist in surpassing 100°F across much of the nation—with southern U.S. cities like Dallas and Phoenix breaking new records daily—and the post-pandemic travel boom shows no signs of slowing, airport service workers are suffering the effects of extreme heat like never before.
Linda Ressler, 57, works cleaning airplane cabins at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport during overnight shifts when the air conditioning systems are switched off, even though nighttime temperatures regularly approach 100°F. Yet, her employer forbids her from carrying water with her while she works, so she struggles to stay hydrated. In fact, she recently lost consciousness briefly during her shift due to the heat. “It drains your brain,” she said. “It slows your cognitive function. You’re overwhelmed by the heat.”
Banned from bringing water into the cabins, Ressler resorts to drinking unopened bottles left behind by passengers, when she is lucky enough to find one. Of the company that employs her, she told The New York Times, "They don’t care if you have heat issues.” She added, “They don’t give you a chance to recuperate at any point during the job.”
A ground crew employee standing next to a plane. (photo via E+/ labsas)
With three continents currently in the grip of epic heat waves, encompassing what scientists are calling the hottest days in modern history, millions of workers are toiling under such furnace-like conditions. Experts are saying airport workers are among those most at risk for heat-related illnesses and even death, due to the heat-amplifying effects of the surrounding asphalt, and the need to wear bulky protective garments and gear.
Yet, as Ressler’s experience attests, airport service staff still lack critical protections. With airlines bouncing well back from COVID-related setbacks—American Airlines just reported record Q2 revenues of over $14 billion—many contracted airport service workers who are suffering in the scorching heat are calling upon lawmakers for action. Some of those on Capitol Hill are stepping in on their behalf, pushing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to fast-track what is usually a years-long process of cementing new regulations to protect workers.
Already, 112 Congressional Democrats have signed their names to a letter requesting that the Biden administration establish an enforceable federal heat protection standard for indoor and outdoor workplaces in the new world wrought by climate change. The group asked that OSHA require employers to provide, “adequate water and sheltered rest breaks, medical training to identify heat-related illness and a plan for workplaces to adjust their operations during times of dangerously high heat,” Reuters reported.
Airlines are short of ground crew and mechanics, among other types of workers. (photo via iStock/E+/Hispanolistic)
Meanwhile, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) released a new ad in Washington D.C. earlier this week that calls upon Congress to ensure the interests of airport service workers, who are risking their own health to keep airlines operating and the public flying, are represented in the FAA Reauthorization bill.
Those demands are also being echoed in Atlanta, home to the world’s busiest airport, the City Council recently passed a Transportation Committee resolution that supports the addition of the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act’s minimum wage and benefit standards into the FAA Reauthorization legislation.
“We’ve been keeping the industry alive without getting what we deserve—a fair wage and affordable healthcare,” Dallas/Ft. Worth airport service worker Peyton Abrams says in the SEIU ad. “We were left out of the bill regulating the air travel industry. We think we deserve to be written in, don’t you, Congress?”
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