Airport workers complain of waste, toxins and lack of safety equipment
Dec 13, 2012, 2:34 PM | Updated: 3:33 pm
Dozens of ground crew workers at Sea-Tac Airport have filed formal complaints about dangerous and disgusting work conditions. (AP file photo)
(AP file photo)
About 50 workers at Sea-Tac Airport have filed formal complaints over their working conditions. And the state confirms it is investigating.
Genevieve Aguilar, a spokeswoman with the social justice group Puget Sound Sage, says the low-paid contract employees are exposed to human waste and toxins without proper training and safety equipment, such as gloves and masks.
“What these workers want from these companies is some basic health and safety protections and they also want to be able to be paid for the time that they work,” said Aguilar.
No comment from the companies, Aircraft Service International Group and D-A-L Global Services, that provide the workers for various carriers at Sea-Tac Airport, including Alaska Airlines, Delta and American Airlines.
Aguilar contends the workers are also being forced to work off the clock. Their jobs include fueling, cleaning airplane cabins and transporting passengers in wheelchairs.
The state Department of Labor and Industries is in the preliminary stages of a workplace inspection and a spokeswoman says it could be a couple of months, or longer, before it issues a final report.
