The 800-Pound Gorilla In The Room …

May 14, 2013
… usually wants some extra spending money.

Last week, a group of wheelchair attendants employed by PrimeFlight Aviation Services, asked the Occupational Health & Safety Administration to inspect working conditions at Philadelphia International Airport.
The complaints, filed with OSHA’s Philadelphia regional office, allege violations of the federal Air Carrier Access Act and ask the Transportation Department to impose fines and order US Airways, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines to force PrimeFlight to correct the problems.
Specifically, the workers allege that they do not receive training on how to help handicapped passengers, are exposed to blood and other bodily fluids without protection and are forced to use faulty equipment.
Furthermore, the complaints contend that the employer does not provide required protective gear, such as gloves, or offer Hepatitis B vaccines, as required by federal regulations.
At PHL, PrimeFlight operates in every terminal, providing wheelchair attendant, skycap, baggage, line attendant, and ticket-counter services to airlines, according to the OSHA complaint. Local news reports estimate that PrimeFlight employs about 100 wheelchair attendants at PHL.
PrimeFlight issued a statement saying, however, it rejects the complaints, calling the move an “apparent union organizing effort.”
Sure enough, the protest made the news, in part, from a press conference organized by the Service Employees International Union, which is representing the employees in the case, although they are not part of a collective-bargaining agreement at the airport.
The complaint is part of a larger effort to change work rules for the airport's workforce. The union is asking the city to mandate that subcontractors pay workers a living wage, at least $10.88 an hour plus benefits, as it does for those employed by companies that contract with the city directly.
Some workers, because they are expected to receive tips for assisting handicapped passengers, make less than the federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 per hour. They say travelers don't tip like they used to and that they're barely getting by on wages alone.
OHSA will investigate the case, but that in itself, doesn’t mean much since it’s dutifully bound to investigate all complaints. The agency says it will take six months before it reaches its conclusion over the allegations.