ABM cabin cleaner Colleen Coates died on the job last month, with advocates and co-workers pointing to extreme heat as a contributing factor. Workers are demanding that company management “start taking their concerns about safety, harassment, verbal abuse and intimidation seriously” after the incident.
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Commercial airlines contract with ABM for cabin cleaning, facility maintenance and other services. Coates was waiting on the jet bridge to clean an American Airlines aircraft when she died.
Niecy Brown, district director for the Workers United union in North Carolina, said the union is demanding “respect” for its workers.
“Respect on the job entails better pay, better benefits, holidays—all of that included,” Brown said.
Charlotte City Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera released a statement supporting the ABM workers.
“They deserve safe working conditions, transparency about their earned paid time off, and the peace of mind that their voices matter,” Ajmera said. “No one should have to choose between their health, their family, and their paycheck.”
Brown said Coates had requested an update on her paid time off prior to September 17.
“She was told by HR that she had zero,” a spokesperson for 32BJ, another union, said.
After Coates’ death, Brown said they posted her remaining PTO, showing she had 20 hours left. ABM declined to comment on these claims. Instead, the company released the following statement to WFAE:
“We are aware of the labor activity taking place today at Charlotte Douglas International Airport and respect our team members' right to make their voices heard. The safety and well-being of ABM team members remain fundamental to our operations, and we are committed to providing safe working conditions, competitive wages and benefits, and a workplace where they can feel comfortable raising concerns. We take those concerns seriously and remain focused on supporting our team members while minimizing disruption to airport operations."
The strike will last 24 hours. Workers signed a petition asking for basic protections and a safe working environment, a more transparent paid time off policy and union recognition.
“ABM has been silent,” Brown said. “Just moving on, work as usual.”
