Bob Bean
Secretary-Treasurer

James McLaughlin
President

Dean Wine
Executive Vice-President

April 23, 2020
 
Dear Governor Ducey and State Legislators,

As COVID-19 continues to spread and the state of Arizona is under a state of emergency order, the
transportation industry is being hit exceptionally hard by this pandemic, especially on the local
level.

Fleet Service Agents at American Airlines, a workgroup of over 1,000 members at Sky Harbor
Airport in Phoenix, have logged no fewer than 60 positive COVID-19 infections (as of April 23,
2020) and this number stands to increase over the next few days, possibly dramatically.

American Airlines has been reluctant to share any infection data, even among internal departments
and this has caused a challenge for us to identify employees that may have been in contact with
infected persons. This, we believe, is the reason that this workforce’s infection rate has spiked,
notwithstanding American Airlines lack of effective preventative measures as of mid-April. Items
like hand sanitizer and face masks were not made available until mid-April, and break-room areas
were hard pressed to allow for social distancing.

Our requests are simple:
1. We need personal protective equipment (PPE) for all essential workers;
2. Workplaces that have been deemed essential must provide for essential workers the ability to
social distance from their colleagues during this pandemic; &
3. COVID-19 testing must be available for all essential workers, especially those in the
transportation industry.

The International Association of Machinists has already requested this of the Director of the Center
for Disease Control (CDC) as well as Members of Congress but we can no longer wait. We need
these tests to be available to our workforce as soon as possible, regardless of symptom status. 

It is critical for Arizona to take the lead on ensuring its residents and essential workers safety. We
urge you to do right by our workers, all of Arizona’s essential workers, and the community at large.
 
In Solidarity,

Fred Yamashita
Executive Director
Arizona AFL-CIO

3117 North 16th Street, #200, Phoenix, AZ 85016
Office: (602) 631-4488
Fax: (602) 631-4490