Summers are getting hotter in the Charlotte region, and outdoor workers are among the most vulnerable to heat illnesses. The 32BJ SEIU airport workers union held a vigil Thursday morning for a woman who advocates and coworkers say recently succumbed to the heat during her shift.
ABM worker Colleen Coates collapsed on a jet bridge at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on September 17, when high temperatures hit the 90s. She was waiting to clean an American Airlines plane, which contracts with ABM for cabin cleaning. Union organizer Seneca Davis said it was Coates' last plane before she could go home for the day.
“The jet bridge was really, really hot,” Davis said. “She couldn’t stand the heat, and she passed out.”
Medics could not resuscitate 55-year-old Coates. Her colleague, LaShonda Barber, said improving workplace safety at the airport is her top concern, but the company doesn’t take it seriously. She said the company is short-staffed and doesn’t provide adequate equipment for employees to perform their jobs safely.
“Our trash truck doesn’t even have air conditioning,” Barber said. “We’ve been suffering all summer long, moving so fast.”
Temperatures are rising, but worker protections are not
Barber described her friend as a hard worker and a “very caring person” who “talked to everybody.”
“She’s the one I would want on my team,” Barber said. “She wants the job done and done right.”
During the vigil, union representatives asked for greater transparency and more worker protections, including the right to call out when they’re sick.
Coates suffered from chronic health conditions and had been recently hospitalized. High temperatures can exacerbate existing health problems, such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Davis said that Coates used an inhaler and took medications for high blood pressure.
ABM said in a statement that it supports airport workers affected by Coates’ passing but declined to comment on the circumstances.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of our colleague, Colleen Coates, and extend our heartfelt condolences to her family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time,” an ABM spokesperson said in a written statement to WFAE.
Barber said she was not aware of receiving any communication about her friend’s death from the company.
