Flight attendants on American Airlines are calling for a total recall of the airline company’s new uniforms, claiming that the outfits made over 1,000 workers sick.
American Airlines distributed its new uniforms to over 70,000 employees in September, and were initially well-received. However, complaints starting pouring in of itching, rashes, headaches and hives in the first few weeks after the airline’s staff began using them, USA Today reports. The company launched an investigation, thinking that the incidents were probably isolated, and might have been caused by a wool allergy.
But flight attendants say that things have worsened, including for those “who are quite pleased with the look of the uniform.”
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) said in its memo Wednesday that,
We have received over 1,600 flight attendant reports of suspected uniform reactions that include headaches, rashes, hives, burning skin and eye irritation, itching, and respiratory problems — to name a few.
The memo added, “The growing number of reports of suspected reactions, triggered by both direct and indirect contact with the uniform, has prompted APFA to ask that all uniforms be recalled until further joint testing with the company can be completed.”
Ron DeFeo, a spokesperson for American Airlines, said that the company has already completed three rounds of testing, and all have been “in line with normal standards” when it came to results.
DeFeo added that due to the ongoing problem, the airline has allowed some 200 employees to keep wearing their old uniforms. The carrier has likewise ordered 600 versions of the uniform not made of wool, in an attempt to address the issue.
Another round of testing is planned, but attendants have said that at this point, “a remedy that excludes a full recall of the uniform fails to adequately protect our members.” The union also said, “To that end, APFA will continue to explore all legal options and consult with additional experts in the field to better understand the results of our ongoing independent testing as well as joint testing moving forward.”
