LAGUARDIA AIRPORT CABIN CLEANERS WALKED OFF THE JOB CLAIMING UNSAFE, UNSANITARY CONDITIONS!

LaGuardia Airport cabin cleaners walked off the job claiming unsafe, unsanitary conditions

EXCLUSIVE: The workers, all of whom operate out of Terminal D, say they’re not properly equipped to handle the hazardous materials they regularly come into contact with — including blood, feces and hypodermic needles.

BY Rich Schapiro

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Thursday, October 9, 2014, 12:38 AM

NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi Jeff Bachner/for New York Daily News Fed up over what they say are unsafe and unsanitary working conditions, dozens of LaGuardia Airport cabin cleaners walked off the job Wednesday.

Fed up over what they say are unsafe and unsanitary working conditions, dozens of LaGuardia Airport cabin cleaners walked off the job Wednesday night.

The workers, all of whom operate out of Terminal D, say they’re not properly equipped to handle the hazardous materials they regularly come into contact with — including blood, feces and hypodermic needles.

“I have to deal with vomit, feces and a lot of chemicals, without proper equipment,” cleaner Johanna Cruz, 33 and from Queens, told the Daily News. “They give us gloves, but they might as well be made of paper because they rip so easily.”

NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi Jeff Bachner/for New York Daily News The workers, all of whom operate out of Terminal D, say they’re not properly equipped to handle the hazardous materials they regularly come into contact with — including blood, feces and hypodermic needles.

Cruz and other workers complained they are transported to and from the planes in beat-up vans lacking seat belts. They receive little to no training for properly disposing of blood and other bodily fluids. And, they say, their pleas for better equipment are met with shrugs.

“They don’t care about our safety,” said Cruz, who like all of the striking workers is employed by Air Serv.

NYC PAPERS OUT. Social media use restricted to low res file max 184 x 128 pixels and 72 dpi Jeff Bachner/for New York Daily News An Air Serv rep didn’t immediately return a request for comment. A Port Authority spokeswoman, reached Wednesday night, declined to comment.

An Air Serv rep didn’t immediately return a request for comment. A Port Authority spokeswoman, reached Wednesday night, declined to comment.

It’s unclear if the strike, slated to continue into Thursday, will disrupt any early morning flights. Jeff Bachner/for New York Daily News It’s unclear if the strike, slated to continue into Thursday, will disrupt any early morning flights.

Air Serv worker Wendy Arellano, who The News profiled in January, said she still suffers from a scary rash on her elbow that formed after a mixture of disinfectant and fecal matter dripped onto her a few months ago.

“We don’t have the right safety gear,” fumed Arellano, 33, a single mother from Queens. “When you’re dealing with feces, you should have the right attire for dealing with that, like a body suit.”

The walk-out comes less than a month after 50 Kennedy Airport workers went on a 24-hour strike. Those baggage handlers, skycaps and wheelchair attendants claimed their employer, Alstate Maintenance, engaged in unfair labor practices by harassing and threatening workers.

The region’s airport workers — who received $1-an-hour raises on Aug. 30 thanks to The News’ Fight for Fair Pay campaign — are seeking a collective-bargaining process with their employers.