I love my job helping passengers with disabilities travel through the airport. But it can be hard when greedy airlines like American put their bottom line and profits above everything. That’s why I united with my coworkers at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport to form a union. We are working together to create a future where passengers and working people have what we need to thrive.

I was diagnosed with heart failure and I understand how challenging and overwhelming it can be to travel and navigate a busy airport with a disability. I do my best to make up for the airlines’ failures and ensure that every passenger has a comfortable traveling experience and feels respected.

But working in the extreme Arizona heat without any real protections or safeguards in place makes my job – and all airport service jobs–extremely difficult and dangerous.

Last summer, working through the record heat wave was the breaking point. I was tired of seeing my coworkers pass out and suffer from heat illness. 

I knew I had to step up and speak out on behalf of myself and my coworkers and demand safer working conditions and protections from the heat.
And after months of speaking out and taking action in our union, we won a historic life saving heat ordinance that will protect many working people by ensuring access to cool water and breaks in cool areas.  We also won a historic seat at the table to ensure workers have a voice on how to prevent heat illness and injuries on the job.

It’s a huge victory! It made me realize that joining together with my co-workers and demanding better really does make our workplaces safer and our lives better.

I’m proud of our union and I know we will take this victory as a jumping off point to make sure every single one of us is safe at work. United with my coworkers in our union, I know we are ready for the challenge.

Airport service workers don’t back down or give up. We know when we join together we are unstoppable.

We won’t stop until all workers are respected, protected and paid!