Dallas City Council Members Urge American Airlines to take immediate action to ensure safety in subcontractors’ catering trucks
Drivers and drivers’ helpers who service American flights to deliver letter, petition to airline on Monday, September 11
Six members of the Dallas City Council have signed on to a letter to American Airlines CEO Doug Parker expressing concern over the extreme heat conditions experienced by drivers at DFW Airport. Drivers and driver helpers—who are employed by American Airlines subcontractor LSG Sky Chefs and deliver meals, snacks, and beverages to aircraft—say that many of their trucks do not have functioning air-conditioning. A recent report released by the workers’ union, UNITE HERE, revealed that heat indices inside catering trucks at DFW have risen to as high as 129°F.
Philip T Kingston from District 14, Casey Thomas, II from District 3, Kevin Felder from District 7, Adam Medrano from District 2, Omar Narvaez from District 6 and Mark Clayton from District 9 were the signatories. The letter comes after council members heard testimony from UNITE HERE Local 23 Chapter Vice President Emmanuel Vinton. Vinton, a former driver, testified that the heat can be overwhelming, especially when the vehicles are stationary and exposed to direct sunlight.
Drivers and drivers’ helpers at DFW work for hours in extreme temperatures. This creates a dangerous environment for airport workers and passengers alike. In their letter, the six city councilmen urged American Airlines to take immediate action:
“As the largest employer in the region, you have an opportunity to positively impact many people – not only the direct employees of American Airlines, but also the subcontracted employees who serve your passengers,” the letter read, “We urge you to investigate and take all necessary steps to ensure workplace safety, starting with a requirement that LSG Sky Chefs’ trucks servicing your flights have air-conditioning.”
On Monday, September 11 at 1pm at the American Airlines headquarters, 4255 Amon Carter Blvd, Fort Worth, DFW Sky Chefs workers will lead a delegation of workers in delivering a petition and the letter of support from City Council to American Airlines.
For more of UNITE HERE’s findings on extreme heat in LSG Sky Chefs catering trucks, visit: fedupinflight.org/heat.
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UNITE HERE is a union with over 270,000 members in the U.S. and Canada. It represents over 15,000 airline catering workers, employees of Gate Gourmet, Flying Food Group and LSG Sky Chefs, at 51 airports across the country.