Branson Andrew pushes wheelchairs for American Airlines passengers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. On Nov. 9, Andrew told Charlotte City Council what the job pays: $12.50 an hour, or "an hour of your life apparently worth less than a Chick-fil-A Cobb salad."
Andrew was one of the airport workers who asked council to wait that night, before it approved American's new lease, 8-2. Nearly all of them talked about pay. Many talked about Colleen Coates, a co-worker who died in September.
The workers who named an employer named a contractor, not American. The wheelchair attendants and escorts named Prospect and Unifi; a plane cleaner and a high-lift driver named ABM. American "controls the economic terms through its vendor contracts," Mo El-Sherbini, an organizer with the union 32BJ SEIU, told council.
The pay
Andrew said the living wage for a single adult with no children in Charlotte is $24.19 an hour, citing the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's online calculator. "Although we make tips it is unreasonable for us to rely on the generosity of our passengers to buy groceries or pay bills," Andrew said.
LaShonda Barber said she has worked at the airport for 20 years, more than seven of them for Jetstream and ABM, as a high-lift driver serving American. Her daughter died earlier this year, she said, and she is the only provider for her grandson. "Working more than 49 hours a week still doesn't provide his basic needs," she said.
Sunita Tucker, who escorts children traveling alone for Prospect, said that despite working full time, "I can't even afford to pay my mortgage with one check."
El-Sherbini, who usually organizes airport workers at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, said a New York law requires employers at that airport to pay at least $21.25 an hour plus health and welfare benefits. Workers there doing "the same exact job for the same airline" get health benefits and paid time off, he said.
Council Member LaWana Mayfield said Prospect was bought by Unifi, and that Unifi's website lists a base pay of $16 an hour for baggage handlers. As for the pay itself, she said, "By law, we do not have the legal ability to negotiate that."
No place to sit
"We don't even have a break room to sit and relax, lockers, or any other amenities," Tucker said. Workers carry their belongings, lunch, snacks and drinks with them all day, Tucker said. Two other workers also told council they have no break room.
Council Member Kimberly Owens asked the airport whether it could set aside space for one. "I don't think we've ever had that discussion," Owens said.
Colleen Coates
Coates died Sept. 17, Council Member Dimple Ajmera told council on Oct. 12, describing her as "a 55-year-old airport employee who collapsed while waiting to clean an aircraft." The airport's chief executive, Haley Gentry, said then that a medic reached her within a minute and that she was transported by ambulance "within about 25 to 28 minutes, depending on which log you look at."
On Nov. 9, her co-workers told council what they say happened before she died. Original Allah, who said he worked for ABM for seven and a half months cleaning planes, said Coates "asked to go home because she wasn't feeling well. She was told to do one more plane." Marcelino Marín, a plane cleaner of six years who spoke in Spanish, said the co-worker they lost in September had a medical condition and was sent to a hot plane. Barber said Coates's death "has raised serious concerns about the extreme heat and unsafe working conditions employees face."
The Charlotte Mercury asked ABM on Nov. 11 what happened and whether Allah's account was accurate. ABM sent a statement saying it was "deeply saddened by the passing of our colleague, Colleen Coates," and has been "providing support and resources to our team members at Charlotte Douglas International Airport who have been impacted by this loss." It did not answer the questions about what happened or what it pays.
American's press office asked to discuss the questions by phone. The Mercury asked for answers in writing and had none by Saturday afternoon. Unifi did not reply.