Colleen Coates was a 55-year-old cabin cleaner at Charlotte Douglas International Airport when she collapsed on a jet bridge while waiting to clean an American Airlines aircraft. She could not be resuscitated. Her death has since become a rallying point for airport contractors demanding safer conditions and basic protections on the job.
Coates had told colleagues before her shift that she was not feeling well, but she came to work anyway because she needed the paycheck, according to the Charlotte Observer. She collapsed on a jet bridge in intense heat while waiting to clean the plane, the paper reported, and was pronounced dead after efforts to revive her failed. Coates worked as a contract employee for ABM, the company that handles cabin cleaning and wheelchair assistance services at the airport, rather than as a direct airport hire, according to Yahoo News.
Weeks after her death, Charlotte airport workers represented by 32BJ SEIU walked out for a one-day unfair labor practice strike, according to Cardinal & Pine, which later reported on the walkout. The strike lasted 24 hours, per WFAE. Around 100 people picketed near the airport that afternoon, including ABM workers, union organizers, community members and political figures, Yahoo News reported.
Workers Demand Safety Protections and Answers on Harassment
Workers signed a petition asking for basic protections and a safe working environment, WFAE reported, along with clearer information about paid time off. The petition also called on ABM to start taking concerns about safety, harassment, verbal abuse and intimidation seriously, according to the same report…