Kids traveling through Sea-Tac Airport are leaning about the workers who make the airport run smoothly–and are having fun completing pages from our coloring book, Who Makes Our Airport Go? This picture was colored by Heather. Below are more of the most recent entries!
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Coloring book shows airport workers on the job
“Who Makes Our Airport Work?” This holiday season, kids of all ages can explore that question through a fun coloring book that airport workers and our supporters are distributing to travelers at Sea-Tac Airport.
Download your own coloring book here, or read below for individual images!
State Investigates Illegal and Dangerous Conditions at Sea-Tac
Airport workers held a press conference on December 13th to announce that L&I is investigating serious health & safety violations and wage theft.
State officials from the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries have begun investigating serious complaints filed last week by more than 50 workers at Sea-Tac International Airport, alleging abusive and dangerous working conditions, exposure to biohazards, faulty equipment, inadequate training, and other violations of state and federal safety laws.
In more than 140 pages of complaints, the workers allege they are:
- Exposed to pathogens – blood, vomit, feces and urine – without protective equipment;
- Denied proper time and training to deal with pathogens or to adequately clean and disinfect areas and equipment used by the public;
- Denied appropriate safety equipment such as goggles, face masks and gloves resulting in respiratory problems, skin rashes and damage to their vision;
- Required to launder fuel-contaminated uniforms at home, exposing themselves and their families to toxic chemicals and fumes;
- Routinely denied bathroom breaks and access to water, and denied legally required rest breaks;
- Required to work with broken or faulty equipment, such as vacuum cleaners that emit sparks, fuel nozzles that leak jet fuel, and fuel trucks with faulty braking systems;
- Not getting paid for all the hours worked or being called into work and then kept waiting to clock in; and
- Not provided basic training for wheelchair agents to help or respond to disabled passengers in an emergency.
Stand Up for Human Rights at Our Airport
December 10th is International Human Rights Day, a holiday which honors the basic truth that every human being has the right to be treated with dignity, fairness, and respect. That’s something everyone deserves, no matter what they do or where they live.
This year, many airport workers will mark Human Rights Day by gathering with faith leaders and other community supporters at the Sea-Tac Airport light rail station.
Together, we’ll call on the Port of Seattle and the big airlines like Alaska that do business at our airport to respect the basic human rights of all workers at Sea-Tac.
Stand up for the human rights of airport workers:
International Human Rights Day
Monday, December 10, 2012: 1:45 pm
Gather at the Sea-Tac light rail station
Taxi drivers like me start every week hundreds of dollars in debt.
My name is Gurminder Kahlon; I am from India. In India I was a lawyer. Here I am a taxi Driver.
Because of taxi drivers like me, people traveling for business, medical reasons, and to visit family and friends get to Sea-Tac Airport conveniently and on time for their flights.
The Port of Seattle and the big corporate Airlines like Alaska depend on ground transportation services like taxi and shuttle drivers. And yet, we struggle to make a living. Just to have the privilege of picking up customers at our Airport, we pay fees to Yellow Cab and to the Port of Seattle. Before I start work on Monday morning, I am already hundreds of dollars in debt. I have to work 12 hours a day and 6 days a week just to make ends meet.
It’s not right. That’s why I’m standing together with all workers for fair pay and respect.