PHOENIX — Earlier this year, Phoenix City Council passed a heat ordinance, strengthening protections for workers at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport during times of extreme heat.
On Tuesday however, workers, safety advocates, leaders, and more addressed more concerns even with the heat ordinance in place, saying there's been little improvement for worker protections.
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Cecilia Ortiz, an airport employee, claimed that her employer has put new policies in place that don't allow workers to sit down.
"I just recently had one of my co-workers come to me saying that he got written up for squatting," she told ABC15.
A company that contracts airport staff, Prospect Airport Services, said all employees whose roles involve work employees whose roles involve working outdoors are provided with extra breaks, unlimited water, Gatorade, and popsicles.
In a statement sent to ABC15, a company spokesperson wrote that "no employee was written up for 'squatting,' but they are told not to sit in wheelchairs on the jet bridge for their own safety as well as those around them.”
Councilwoman Betty Guardado, who attended the rally, announced that she'll be writing a letter to the employers and companies of airport workers, asking for the safety plans that should be in place.
