American Airlines introduced new flight attendant uniforms in September, and a number of employees now say the garments are making them ill. Flight attendants have filed a grievance with the carrier seeking a return to the previous uniforms.
According to reports, staffers have experienced a range of symptoms they believe are linked to the new clothing, including eye swelling, rashes, skin blistering, wheezing, headaches and vertigo.
“Personal health is so integral and critical to our Flight Attendant workforce, who must be able to work in a healthy manner and environment. To do so, our members need proper and safe uniforms,” wrote Bob Ross, president of the flight attendants’ union, in a letter to American Airlines’ general counsel.
The grievance letter states that roughly 2,200 flight attendants reported reactions they associate with the new uniforms. The union asks the airline to replace the uniforms, honor sick-leave requests, reimburse medical expenses and allocate $2 million for research into the issue.
American Airlines confirmed it rolled out the new uniforms to about 70,000 employees and said it conducted extensive testing on the previous uniforms, the new garments and their packaging. The carrier has opened a dedicated call center for employees to report health concerns and says it is continuing further testing to determine any safety issues.