L.A. wants say in LAX hiring
Airlines would select service worker subcontractors from a city-approved list.
Daily Breeze - November 8, 2007
By Art Marroquin

City officials are drafting a policy that would give Los Angeles World Airports greater oversight of contracts and training standards of more than 2,500 so-called passenger service workers, the airport agency's executive director said Wednesday.

The policy change was suggested following a report that found private firms subcontracted by the airlines offer inadequate training to the workers and fail to replace faulty equipment when accommodating disabled passengers.

"Implementing these standards could mean less turnover, more experience and increased security vigilance," said Gina Marie Lindsey, executive director of LAWA.

The Board of Airport Commissioners could consider the contracting plan as early as January, affecting private companies that hire janitors, security screeners, baggage handlers and those who assist disabled passengers at Los Angeles International Airport, Lindsey told the City Council's Trade, Commerce and Tourism Committee.

Airport Commissioner Fernando Torres-Gil, a polio survivor who uses crutches and a wheelchair, said he would support the plan.

"The commission is especially sensitive and appreciative of the wheelchair attendants," Torres-Gil said. "Without them, many people, including myself, could not use the airport. We need to do more for them."

The proposal would allow LAWA to examine a subcontractor's relationship with workers, training techniques, prior experience at major airports and quality of service offered to passengers, according to Lindsey.

The airlines would then select subcontractors from a list of private companies preapproved by LAWA, she said.

Similar policies exist at airports in San Francisco, Miami and Boston, Lindsey said.

"I think the program that was laid out today is essential to what we're looking for," said Carolina Briones, who authored the study for the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy.

"We hope that making the process competitive among subcontractors will lead to higher wages for the workers," Briones said, noting that the private companies already fall under the purview of a citywide "living wage" ordinance that went into effect about a decade ago.

LAANE had tried 10 years ago to require concessionaires at LAX to pay a living wage to their workers. The group had also tried to require LAX-area hotels to adopt the same policy last year.

Less than 20 percent of the workers surveyed received training to spot false identifications, less than 25 percent have been trained to spot suspicious packages or behavior and less than 10 percent have been trained in terminal evacuation or other procedures, according to LAANE's study of 300 service workers at LAX.

"While we certainly want to provide A-plus service to our passengers, we also want to have a work force that's treated with dignity and respect, earns decent wages and benefits and have a reason to stay in these jobs," said Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who chairs the three-member trade committee.

Hahn suggested that airport officials also create a whistle-blower hotline that would allow passenger service workers to report poor conditions on the job.

"When they try to talk to their employer and bring up these issues, they are not treated in a respectful manner," Hahn said. "We have to find a way to get their voices heard."

art.marroquin@dailybreeze.com