‘It’s Like An Oven’: NJ Airport Workers Demand More Protection From Extreme Heat

NEWARK, NJ — A group of Alliance Ground International (AGI) employees rallied at Newark Airport in New Jersey on Wednesday, accusing the company of having “unsafe working conditions” and demanding more protection from increasingly dangerous heatwaves.

According to labor union 32BJ SEIU, the company employs more than 150 people at Newark Airport and provides air cargo, mail and ground handling services such as cabin cleaning, ticket counter, baggage handling and ramp work. The company’s clients include Aero Mexico, British Airways, Delta Airlines, American Airlines and Air India.

Rallying outside in the rain, the workers said they are struggling with “punishing heat” on the tarmac and the absence of reliable cooling equipment. Some are suffering from heat-related illnesses such as dizziness, lightheadedness and fatigue, they said.

Ashley Castillo, an AGI lead office cargo agent, said their office has been without air conditioning since the beginning of the summer.

“Even though it sometimes feels like 100 degrees in the office, management has hesitated to replace the AC system,” Castillo said. “It’s not a priority for them.”

It’s even hotter in the warehouse, where Castillo also works for part of the day.

“The warehouse is all metal on the outside – it’s like an oven,” Castillo said. “Twice this summer I’ve gotten sick from the extreme heat, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.”

Several people have been sent home this summer because they got too dizzy and exhausted to work, she said.

“The heat slows everything down,” Castillo continued. “It doesn’t just burn the workers out; it also impacts our equipment. Our computers often shut down from overheating.”

According to their union, the workers are calling for the company to immediately implement “meaningful safeguards,” including installing adequate cooling equipment, guaranteeing consistent water breaks and providing fair compensation when heat disrupts work. They also urged the company to invest in training programs that would allow all staff to identify and respond to heat-related illnesses before they escalate.

Wednesday’s rally was part of a nationwide “Heat Week” initiative organized by 32BJ SEIU, which says there is an urgent need for stronger protections for airport workers – who are already battling increasingly brutal summer heatwaves.

• See Related: ‘Extreme Heat’ On The Job: Proposed NJ Law Sees Cheers, Boos

The union is also alleging that AGI owes workers $2 million in unpaid wages under New Jersey’s Healthy Terminals Act, which created new minimum wage and benefits requirements for certain workers at Newark Liberty International Airport and the adjacent Newark Liberty International Train Station.

• See Related: NJ Healthy Terminals Act Takes Off; Gov. Signs Health Care Bill

Patch reached out to AGI via email seeking comment about the rally and allegations from the union. We will update this article with any reply we receive.

According to AGI’s website, the Miami-based company includes more than 12,000 team members and provides cargo handling, ground support, passenger services and security at 62 airports across the U.S. and Canada.

In July, the company announced that its employees at JFK Airport in NYC voted against union representation with Amalgamated Production Workers Local 22.

“With wage and benefit protections like the Healthy Terminals Act and living wage ordinances already in place, there is simply no added value in paying union dues to receive what the law already guarantees,” the company argued.

“AGI affirms our employees’ right to unionize, provided under federal law,” the company added.

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