ISSUE 8
WWW.ENVOYAGENTS.ORG
SUMMER 2016
RIGHT UNIFORM FOR THE RIGHT JOB?
BY DE ANNA DAVIS (BPT) AND
JULIE COWGUR (XNA)
Cumbersome. That’s one big
problem with our current uniforms
and the ones we’ll be getting. And
not appropriate for most of the
work we do.
Both of us work at smaller stations,
where we are technically crossutilized. At BPT you might work
counter, gate, baggage, and ramp
all in the same week. Sometimes in
the same day. A lot of small stations
have work patterns like ours. That
creates one set of problems. At XNA
we are considered cross-utilized,
but generally we work either gate/
counter or ramp for at least a whole
bid. We’re a large station in a small
town because Bentonville is the
national headquarters for Walmart.
They have a lot of people flying in
and out, including a lot of premium
passengers.
The word we have is that all agents
who are considered cross-utilized
will have only one option for the
new uniforms: cargo pants and
button-up shirt.
To start with, there are several
problems with the ramp uniforms
that we have now, and it looks like
the new ones will be similar. For
one, they are very hot. Beaumont
is hot and humid on the Summer,
and ramp is strenuous work. You
end up soaked in sweat.
It seems like a small thing, but the
DE ANNA DAVIS (BPT)
JULIE COWGUR (XNA)
requirement that we wear black
shoes means our feet bake out on
the tarmac.
contact is the important one. Ramp
uniforms are for ramp work: they
are not appropriate when we’re
working inside.
And another issue: the shirts
must have been designed for
men, because if you’re shaped
like a woman and you’re out there
bending and lifting . . . some of
us always wear another shirt
underneath in case of button
failures. Which is even hotter. We
need ramp uniforms that are as
cool and comfortable as possible,
that are designed for strenuous
work, and that are designed for all
people, including women.
The problem is different for inside
work. The ramp uniforms are just
not appropriate for counter and
gate. We might be old school, but
we believe in looking professional
at the counter, and so do our coworkers. And that’s what the airline
has said for years: the first point of
In some stations it might be
unavoidable once in a while to
have to run in from the ramp
(hot, sweaty, and not smelling
great) and work the counter. But
generally you know ahead of time.
If we’re cross utilized we need both
appropriate uniforms for the ramp
and professional looking uniforms
for inside.
All of us, in the hubs and out
stations, should have access to
the same uniforms as American
mainline. For our passengers we
ARE American Airlines. We should
all wear the same uniforms. And
we should all have access to the
same pieces and options. Uniforms
are one more place we need to
bridge the gap.
BARGAINING WITH ENVOY IS ONGOING: CHECK ENVOYAGENTS.ORG FOR UPDATES
SAFETY ON THE JOB: IT’S UP TO US
BY STEVEN WARD AND
PAUL GONNELLI, LEX
We in LEX Bluegrass Airport have
encountered several obstacles that
we believe are safety violations that
have not been corrected, even after
being reported to management
and Airport Operations. The issues
are as follows:
1) Excessive bird droppings which
have led to a severe build up on our
equipment. The droppings cover
the jet bridges areas inside and
out. Portable water cabinets and
electrical components are coated
as well.
2) Drain grate covers that don’t fit
in area of planes have created trip
hazards for workers.
the stretching and catching the
bags to put them on the rollers is
increased.
4) Our cat walks to fix baggage jams
have sharp brackets that can rip
clothing and cut workers.
MISSING CONVEYER BELT IN LEX
3) Our belt & baggage system
has been broken since the end
of last year. The system may be
down until a new one is designed
and fabricated, which can take a
year or more. Currently we have
to distribute baggage for four
airlines from the drop point where
bags used to fall into a 100-foot
drop carousel. This work is very
physical and the possibility of an
injury to workers’ backs from all
Our words fell short and nothing
has been done to move forward to
correct these issues. We felt that
these were violations that could
cause all of us an injury or illness,
so eight workers in LEX decided to
file a formal OSHA Complaint at
the beginning of April 2016. OSHA
has visited the LEX Airport and
the investigation is ongoing. We
will continue to be diligent and
follow up to make sure each issue
is addressed so that we are able to
work in a safe environment.
BULLETIN BOARDS:
YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO HAVE A BULLETIN BOARD FOR UNION
NEWS AND INFORMATION AT YOUR STATION. A LOOK AT OUR NEW
UNION BULLETIN BOARDS FROM AROUND THE SYSTEM.
BHM
CMI
MHK
DFW
ORD
FNT
BPT
GRR
IT’S COMMON SENSE: DO YOUR PART TO HELP KEEP US SAFE
KIMBERLY POLK, ORD
I‘d like to share my thoughts on
how customer service agents need
to feel safe and protected at work.
I’ve been with the company for
15 years. Over the years I’ve been
verbally abused by passengers, I’ve
been spit on and I’ve even had a
phone thrown at my head. In every
instance, nothing happened to the
passenger. Even when the police
were called and a report was filed,
the passenger was still allowed to
fly.
As customer service agents we
never know what we’re going to
encounter, especially when we’re
dealing with irate passengers.
Unfortunately our management
lets abusive passengers continue
to travel after an assault, making us
feel like our safety means nothing.
As agents working on the front
lines, we all need to appeal to our
elected officials to pass a law that
KIMBERLY POLK, ORD
protects our safety on the job. We
need to know that passengers
will be held accountable for their
actions.
Right now customers know that
they can do whatever they want
without any consequences and it’s
getting really bad. For example,
I witnessed a passenger come
behind the counter and punch a
female agent in the face. Again, he
was still allowed to fly.
I have also seen passengers hold
a mini-riot at the gate. On one
occasion when a flight was delayed
for hours and then cancelled, a
passenger climbed on the counter
and started shouting that they
weren’t going to take it. Everyone
else joined in and soon they were
all yelling, throwing things and
spitting at us. We had to go on
the jet bridge for our safety and
I’m sad to say that TSA just stood
by and watched. The Chicago
Police Department did nothing
and neither did management.
Not only did the passengers get
to fly, but they were given hotel
and meal vouchers for a weather
cancellation.
Please please do your part to keep
us safe. We need to convince the
US senate to pass a proposed law
that would make assaults on agents
a felony. Talk to the agents at
your station who are active in the
union or speak to your local CWA
organizer about how you can help
us get this law passed.