Airport, farm and fast food workers demonstrate for better heat protection

• Airport employees in Phoenix and Charlotte describe dangerous conditions in extreme heat.

• They joined fast-food and farm workers this week in demanding that employers provide them with water, air conditioning and rest breaks.

• 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 in Phoenix reach triple digits for months at a time. Ortiz says she sweats through her thick polyester uniform on jetways, which aren’t always air-conditioned. Access to cold water and rest breaks aren’t guaranteed. Some of her colleagues who clean airplane cabins, move luggage on the tarmac or work as curbside employees report dizziness, nausea and vomiting on the job – symptoms of heat exhaustion.

Ortiz is joining workers in the airline, fast-food and agriculture industries in 13 cities this week to demand that employers provide education and training on the symptoms of heat exhaustion, develop an action plan for employee health care and ensure 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 drink water together and share it on social media. Several unions are organizing the actions.

Scorching heat is becoming more common in the U.S. and around the world. Scientists have found that the climate crisis is causing more frequent, more intense and longer-lasting heat waves. Federal data shows that dozens of workers die from heat in the U.S. each year. This summer, a Baltimore city garbage collector died of hyperthermia, or overheating, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating whether the death of a North Carolina postal worker was related to the heat.

There are no national standards to protect workers indoors and outdoors. The Biden administration proposed rules in July for employers whose workers are exposed to temperatures of 80 degrees Fahrenheit or more, but it could take years for those to take effect. The rules could also be eliminated if former President Donald Trump wins the election in November.

Some states and cities, including California and Phoenix, have already enacted their own measures. This fall, Maryland is expected to become the sixth state to impose heat protection measures for workers. Florida and Texas have blocked such measures at the local level.

The Phoenix City Council unanimously passed an ordinance in April requiring all city contractors and subcontractors to develop heat protection plans for workers outdoors, including at construction sites and airports. The ordinance also requires access to rest areas, shade, water and air conditioning. By 2025, enclosed vehicles, such as those transporting airport baggage, must have air conditioning.

Ortiz called the order a major success, but said her employer, Prospect Airport Services, has yet to make any changes. The company employs more than 8,500 people at 26 airports across the U.S. and has contracts with airlines to provide passenger services, baggage handlers and gate agents.

“The order went into effect in April and now we are in August and we are still fighting for our basic human right to a break and water,” Ortiz said.

She and other contract workers at the airport tried to deliver a copy of the Phoenix ordinance to their supervisor on Tuesday, but the supervisor would not leave his office, Ortiz said. Last August, Ortiz and 10 other employees filed a complaint with Arizona’s occupational safety and health authorities, which launched an investigation and conducted an on-site inspection, the Washington Post reported. A spokesperson for the Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health told Business Insider they could not provide any information about that investigation at this time.

Unifi Aviation, the parent company of Prospect Airport Services, told BI in a statement that it has a heat illness prevention program that goes into effect when temperatures rise above 80 degrees and that managers are encouraged to continually monitor for signs of heat stress or illness among employees.

“All field employees will be given additional breaks and quick access to unlimited water, Gatorade, cooling towels and popsicles,” the company said. “When possible, fogging stations will also be set up at airports in conjunction with airport or airline officials. Employees will also be instructed not to sit or loiter in jetways for their own safety and the safety of those around them.”

In California, farmworkers are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat. Lourdes Cardenas is a farmworker who lives in Fresno, California, where temperatures exceeded 104 degrees Fahrenheit this summer. She said that although the state has a heat protection law, companies don’t always follow it. Last summer, while working in tomato fields with no shade, she got a headache and started vomiting. She had to drive herself home to rest.

“Many workers don’t speak up when things are going badly for them because they’re afraid of being fired or because they’re making so little money that they feel like they have to take risks to get their pay,” Cardenas said during a news conference Monday hosted by unions including United Farm Workers.

Fast-food workers at Waffle House and Starbucks told BI that last summer, air conditioning at some locations failed for weeks, causing temperatures in restaurants to exceed 27 degrees.

“We know the planet is getting hotter every year, and we’re seeing conditions for workers get dramatically worse, even if people don’t always think about heat,” said April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union, which is helping organize this week’s rallies. “People on the jetways or in the kitchen, where temperatures can soar above 40 degrees, are demanding that employers act now.”

Read the original article on Business Insider