32BJ of the SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 24, 2023

WEDS: LGA Airport Workers Sound Alarm Alleging Unsafe Conditions in OSHA Complaint Exposing Swissport Companies’ Hazardous Workplace Conditions

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Service and cargo workers at LGA added their demands for proper PPE and workplace safety to those of workers across six cities as all eyes are on major airlines to fix air travel chaos

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Complaint comes as airport service workers nationwide demand Congress include ‘Good Job for Good Airports Act’ wage and benefit standards in upcoming FAA Reauthorization

[New York, NY]  – Airport workers at LGA rallied Wednesday to raise alarms alleging unsafe working conditions and demand improved safety standards for the very workers whose essential work on the tarmac keeps planes fueled, cabins clean and bags loaded into the cargo hold. At the press conference, airport workers will reveal hazardous working conditions they’ve been forced to endure at multiple airports – from driving vehicles with faulty brakes to dealing with warehouse fires and hazmat chemical spills – after they formally filed complaints with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) against global ground handling provider Swissport. Swissport companies are a repeat offender as they have been previously cited by OSHA for unsafe working conditions.  

As broad dysfunction continues to plague our air travel system and major airlines have failed to fix the chaos they’ve created, airport service workers and elected officials are banding together nationwide to demand the majority Black, brown and immigrant workforce has fair wages and benefits included in FAA Reauthorization. The LGA workers’ complaints come as service workers around the nation are calling for a seat at the table and a reckoning across a system that’s allowed airlines to continue to make record profits, while leaving passengers and workers to contend with mountains of lost luggage, canceled flights and widespread delays.

Swissport at LGA, which provides services for Spirit Airlines and Air Canada, has created an unsafe work environment that these workers allege that they have had to endure to get planes in the air safely and on time.

LGA airport workers’ demands will also be echoed across Boston, Newark and Washington D.C., as airport workers in these cities also take steps to hold corporations accountable to the working people who keep our airports safe, clean and running. Chief among their demands is Congressional action to include the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act’s nationwide wage and benefit standards in the upcoming FAA reauthorization. By requiring wages of at least $15/hr, healthcare and paid time off, the Good Jobs for Good Airports standards would help stabilize the air travel industry by ensuring airport service jobs are good jobs you can support a family on.

“We don’t get proper PPE, we have insane turnover, and worst of all; the equipment we use often malfunctions or is broken. I have seen human feces drip from the lav pipe onto my colleagues and I have had the same experience myself. On top of all this, we are forced to use the same face mask as a team. A mask that is rarely cleaned! All of this makes my job that much harder and that’s not right!” said Jonathan Q. Rodriguez Swissport USA Ramp Agent.

“Airport Service workers across the country are fighting back against low road employers and demanding safe working conditions to help travelers reach their destinations. 32BJ has supported airline workers in their struggle to win a union, and as a result thousands of contracted airline workers now have higher wages and benefits. Unfortunately, some airlines still work with irresponsible contractors like Swissport, who do not treat their workers with the respect they deserve and seemingly ignore worker safety. That’s why it’s so important to have a national standard across the board. Congress must pass the Good Jobs Good Airports Act now!” said Manny Pastreich, SEIU Local 32BJ President.

LGA airport workers join a growing list of workers calling out Swissport companies for poor working conditions. Last month, the National Council of Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) also named Swissport International AG Companies among their 2023 “Dirty Dozen” employers with unsafe work practices, due to its alarming history of health and safety violations. 

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With more than 175,000 members in 12 states, including more than 70,000 in  New York State, 32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers union in the country.