Ffrom overcrowding, the voluntary loss of jobs and retirements, to problems of staff shortages and an increase in cases of harassment and assault by unruly passengers, airport workers and airlines continue to take over. weight of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the air travel industry.
The sector was one of the hardest hit by Covid-19 and lost nearly 100,000 jobs in the first months of the pandemic. Through three rounds of funding, Congress provided the industry with $ 54 billion in federal aid to keep workers on payrolls, while increases in the Delta variant have stifled the recovery of air travel nationally and internationally.
U.S. airlines have differed on whether to implement vaccination warrants for their employees, while passengers are not required to be vaccinated or have a negative Covid test to fly and some airlines do not support the extension. of mask warrants on U.S. domestic flights.
“Throughout my career, I’ve never experienced what we’re experiencing right now,” said an American Airlines flight attendant who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, as they are not allowed to speak to the media. “I’m going to work now and I’m always worried about what will happen, what will make someone angry. It’s a completely new ball game now and it’s a different kind of passenger we’re seeing right now. “
They said flight attendants were constantly dealing with irritated passengers who refuse to comply with federal mask mandates for all flights and would like to receive more management support and paid self-defense training to all flight attendants.
Although the application of Covid security protections has fallen on flight attendants, workers are still concerned about contracting the virus and spreading it to their loved ones, to cope with stressful working conditions and the loss of several colleagues. of work who died due to the virus.
To date, in 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration issued more than $ 1 million in fines against unruly airline passengers and received about 3,900 individual reports. A national survey of about 5,000 flight attendants published in July 2021 by the Flight Assistants Association-CWA, AFL-CIO (AFA) found that 85% of flight attendants have experienced messy passengers in 2021 and one in five has experienced physical incidents.
Airline workers face additional risks associated with Covid-19: lack of unemployment benefits, lack of staff, and enforcement of Covid-19 safety protocols.
Delta Air Lines plans to increase health insurance premiums for all unvaccinated employees from November 2021 and will require them to take weekly Covid tests from September 12th. Delta announced that the policy was intended to mitigate the financial impact of Covid-19 infections, as the average stay in the hospital for coronavirus has cost the company $ 40,000 per person.
A Delta Air Lines ramp agent in the Midwestern United States who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals said he considered Delta Air Lines’ decision to increase health insurance premiums for employees not vaccinated is more than the company’s concern for the health of its workers.
“To this day, the people responsible for cleaning the plane before boarding are hired workers who do not receive medical insurance. These are the people who can least afford to be sick and most likely to be sick. ‘face them and come to work with an illness,’ said the worker.
Once, the ramp agent used the accumulated time to stop working because they were not feeling well and went for the coronavirus test. Managers threatened to start scolding employees for stopping working in double shifts, which are the only type of shifts this worker has.
A Delta Air Lines spokesman said in an email: “Our leaders are encouraged and have the power to support our people who need free time to get tested and take care of themselves.”
Some airline workers work for external contractors and have long suffered from low pay and lack of benefits or health care, problems that have become even more severe during the pandemic and as domestic travel recovered during the pandemic. summer of 2021.
Jane Spurka, a wheelchair assistant to a contractor, Bags Inc, at Orlando International Airport in Florida, was assigned from March to August 2020. Shortly after returning to work, Spurka was injured. at work and had to work because of the pain of his injury until his workers ’compensation claim was processed in May 2021. Since then he has been on duty.
“We’re understaffed, overworked and unappreciated,” said Spurka, who earns $ 7.98 per hour plus tips. “If we are sick, whether it’s just a simple headache or the flu, we have no choice but to work. There are no paid days. We don’t receive anything from the company. “
He said wheelchair attendants had been so overwhelmed that they had been unable to take breaks, often grabbed two passengers at once and were subjected to the anger and frustration of airline passengers.
Joseph Gourgue, 62, a door agent and wheelchair assistant at Orlando International Airport, recently hired Covid and received no pay for the two weeks of work he lost during his quarantine. He also spread the virus to his wife. He has pre-existing health conditions and said he would have stayed home without working any longer, but he could not afford it.
“All the company does is make sure it works every day and make sure it does its job,” said Gourgue, who is charged just above the federal minimum wage and trusts passenger advice. “That’s why I’ve been working so hard with my colleagues for two years to join the union. They will have to negotiate, look us in the eye. I don’t like the idea of workers being taken advantage of, but right now it’s America. “
A spokesman for Bags Inc. declined to comment on specific employees, citing company policy, but added in an email: “In general, employee salaries and requirements for earnings vary depending on the position, responsibilities, experience, location, client, full-time / part-time status and other factors. We value our employees and are committed to providing a safe work environment and following mandatory government regulations, as appropriate. “