Airline and airport safety and work conditions are under fire by a group of workers who are asking for help from the U.S. Attorney General. With Denver being one of the nation’s largest airports, Colorado airport workers may need to know which resources or options exist for their own protection if ever the same complaints unfold in Colorado. The group of 80 are seeking help dealing with race discrimination claims and reportedly unsafe working conditions.
The workers involved in the suit deal with luggage and use trucks and heavy equipment on the tarmac. They allege that they were made to operate unsafe trucks with broken necessary components. They also claim pools of oil were continuously present that could have led to falls and other unsafe conditions. They also claim faulty equipment was shuffled from airport to airport to avoid detection by inspectors.
The majority of the 80 are African-American and contend racial discrimination is a problem at the airport. They sued once, and a settlement was reached, along with a pledge of improvements to be made. They alleged racial slurs were an issue. The group also says there was segregation in the break rooms and on job assignments.
A lawsuit was dismissed several years ago by a judge, and the group has sought other means of correcting the wrongs they believe have taken place. Any kind of race discrimination claims against a Colorado employer can be complicated, as complaints must be filed with the proper authorities in the work place and handled accordingly. In a case in which a race discrimination claim is not handled appropriately or an employee believes authorities have not done enough to rectify the situation, further legal action may be necessary.
Source: philly.com, “Eighty American Airlines employees claim racial discrimination and safety violations”, Linda Loyd, July 16, 2015
