*** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ***Contact: Working Washington: Thea Levkovitz, thea@workingwa.org or Sage Wilson, sage@workingwa.org
Workers begin reaching out to passengers over safety & fairness issues
Sea-Tac fueler Alex Popescu saw something, he said something, and he was suspended for it. That's what prompted fuelers to announce today that they have voted to authorize a strike over workplace safety and rights at ASIG, a low-wage airport contractor responsible for safely fueling 75% of flights at Sea-Tac.
In August, Alex testified before the Port of Seattle and showed photos of faulty equipment that affect the safety of ASIG workers. On September 12, he reported broken equipment on a truck he was supposed to drive. He was then suspended indefinitely, and has not been allowed back to work since.
Today, Alex’s co-workers were joined by faith and community leaders to demand that safety issues like soft brakes on fuel trucks, faulty fuel nozzles, and broken ladders be addressed, and that Alex be reinstated to his job. Workers should have the right to speak out on workplace safety and rights without being penalized for it.
After holding a press conference to explain the issues, fuelers and community leaders then marched together to ASIG's offices where they delivered an official notification of the strike authorization vote to ASIG's corporate offices. Fueler and supporters then returned to the airport to begin leafletting passengers about their safety & fairness concerns. (Click here to see copies of the strike authorization notice to management and the passenger alert.)
Fuelers made clear today that they are standing together for safety and fairness at Sea-Tac, and community leaders made clear that they stand with them. Fuelers are unwilling to continue to accept unsafe conditions at the airport, and they will not accept retaliation against a co-worker who spoke up for his rights at work. Now that official notification of the strike authorization vote has been delivered, what happens next is up to ASIG and Alaska and the other airlines who hire them.
For the latest information as events develop, visit itsOURairport.org
Aircraft fuelers are among the thousands of poverty-wage workers at our airport. Together, they are speaking out to make sure every job at our airport is a good job — one that offers good wages & benefits, a safe & healthy working environment, and a fair shot at a better future.
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