Justin Sullivan
- Airport workers in Phoenix, Charlotte describe dangerous conditions during extreme heat.
- They joined fast-food and farm workers this week in demanding employers provide water, AC, and rest.
- Five states and some cities have heat protection policies, but enforcement is inconsistent.
Cecilia Ortiz walks 10 to 15 miles a day for her job at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, pushing people in wheelchairs to their gates and carrying luggage.
She loves her job, but it comes with risks, especially when temperatures reach triple digits for months in Phoenix. Ortiz said she sweats through her thick polyester uniform on jet bridges that aren't always air-conditioned. Access to cold water and rest breaks aren't guaranteed. Some of her colleagues who clean airplane cabins, transport luggage on the tarmac, or work as curbside agents have reported dizziness, nausea, and vomiting on the job — symptoms of heat exhaustion.
Ortiz this week is joining workers in the airline, fast-food, and farming sectors in 13 cities to demand that employers provide education and training about the symptoms of heat exhaustion, develop a plan of action for getting employees medical attention, and ensure that employees have access to water, shade, air conditioning, and rest breaks. On Tuesday there were demonstrations at airports in Phoenix and Charlotte, North Carolina, and on Thursday workers plan to take a coordinated drink of water and share it across social media. Several labor unions are organizing the actions.
Scorching heat is becoming more common in the US and around the world. Scientists have found that the climate crisis is causing more frequent, intense, and longer-lasting heat waves. Federal data indicates that each year dozens of workers in the US die from heat exposure. This summer, a sanitation worker for the city of Baltimore died from hyperthermia, or overheating, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating whether a postal worker's death in North Carolina was related to the heat.
There are no national standards to protect indoor and outdoor workers. The Biden administration in July proposed rules for employers with workers exposed to temperatures of 80 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, but it could be years before they take effect. The rules could also be scrapped if former President Donald Trump wins the election in November.
Some states and cities have enacted their own policies, including California and Phoenix. This fall Maryland is expected to become the sixth state to adopt heat protections for workers. Meanwhile, Florida and Texas have blocked such protections at the local level.
The Phoenix City Council in April unanimously passed an ordinance requiring all city contractors and subcontractors to develop heat-safety plans for outdoor workers, including at construction sites and airports. The ordinance also requires access to rest, shade, water, and air conditioning. By 2025, closed-cab vehicles, like those that move airport baggage, must have AC.
Ortiz described the ordinance as a big win but said she still hadn't seen her employer, Prospect Airport Services, make changes. The company has more than 8,500 employees at 26 airports around the US and has contracts with airlines to provide passenger services, baggage handlers, and gate agents.
"The ordinance took effect in April, and we're in August now, still fighting for our basic human rights to a break and water," Ortiz said.
She and other airport contract workers tried to deliver a copy of the Phoenix ordinance to their supervisor on Tuesday, but he wouldn't leave his office, Ortiz said. Last August, Ortiz and 10 other employees filed a complaint with Arizona's occupational-safety authorities, who opened an investigation and conducted an on-site inspection, The Washington Post reported. A spokesman for the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health told Business Insider they could not immediately provide information about that investigation.
Unifi Aviation, the parent company of Prospect Airport Services, told BI in a statement that it had a heat-illness-prevention program that takes effect when temperatures exceed 80 degrees, adding that managers are encouraged to continuously check for signs of heat stress or illness among employees.
"All outdoor workers are provided with extra breaks, quick access to unlimited water, Gatorade, cooling towels and popsicles," the company said. "When possible, misting stations are also set up at the airports in partnership with airport or airline officials. Employees are also told not to sit or loiter in jet bridges for their own safety and that of those around them."
In California, farm workers are especially vulnerable to extreme heat. Lourdes Cardenas is a farm worker who lives in Fresno, California, where it has reached upward of 105 degrees Fahrenheit this summer. She said even though the state has a heat protection law, companies don't always follow it. Last summer, while working in tomato fields without shade, she had a headache and vomited. She had to drive herself home to rest.
"Many workers don't say anything when they feel bad because they are afraid they will be fired, or because they earn so little that they feel they have to take risks to get a paycheck," Cardenas said during a press conference on Monday hosted by labor unions, including United Farm Workers.
Fast-food workers at Waffle House and Starbucks told BI that AC units at some locations were broken for weeks last summer, causing the restaurants to be hotter than 80 degrees.
"We know that the planet is getting hotter and hotter every year, and we're seeing skyrocketing conditions for workers that people may not always think of when they think about the heat," said April Verrett, the president of the Service Employees International Union, which is helping organize this week's rallies. "Folks on jet bridges or in the kitchen, where temperatures can exceed 110 degrees — they're making these demands that it's time for employers to act now."