An itchy situation playing out at American Airlines has reached the union grievance stage.
Bloomberg News' Michael Sasso, via The Star-Telegram, reports the union representing American Airlines employees has now filed an official grievance with the airline over brand new uniforms that have, allegedly, adversely affected many of its workers.
As TravelPulse reported earlier in the month, American had welcomed a wealth of complaints from employees who claimed new uniforms, supplied by wardrobe manufacturer Twin Hill, were causing severe allergic reactions to a wide swath of workers.
At that time, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) put out a statement that read: "Since August, we have received over 1,600 Flight Attendant reports of suspected uniform reactions that include headaches, rashes, hives, burning skin and eye irritation, itching, and respiratory problems-to name a few. The growing number of reports of suspected reactions, triggered by both direct and indirect contact with the uniform, has prompted APFA to ask that all uniforms be recalled until further joint testing with the Company can be completed."
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According to Thursday's report, the APFA's president, Bob Ross, urged the airline to completely drop the new line or allow workers to don their classic look amid what are seemingly scary symptoms.
A Wednesday letter from Ross is noted in the report. It's this letter that doubles down on what many employees claim to have suffered thanks to swanky new clothes "These uniforms continue to put our members at risk, forcing them to use sick leave and affecting their overall health…Flight attendants have reported endocrine issues, wheezing, fatigue, vertigo and other conditions after wearing the outfits."
The nagging situation has now reached the point that the union has filed an official grievance.
Sasso states the APFA requests the airline kick in funds to cover any medical costs incurred by employees and dedicate a sum, $2 million, to research what is behind a relatively large number of claims.
For its part, the airline states it will respond to the grievance within 20 days. Until then, it has set up a call center to field complaints and will, according to the report, "cover the cost of dermatological testing."
As noted, American is also about to embark on the fourth round of testing on these problematic uniforms, not finding any conclusive evidence of an issue on previous rounds.
Previously, The Star-Telegram quoted American's Ron DeFeo who issued the company had, "allowed about 200 flight attendants to continue wearing the old uniforms and has ordered 600 non-wool uniforms to address some of the skin reactions."
American seems stuck in its belief that the uniforms are just fine and will continue to test amid growing concern from its base of workers. Meanwhile, a growing number of employees are itching, scratching, wheezing and staying home thanks to a frustrating rollout of fancy clothes.
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