Every day at O’Hare International Airport, I take pride in helping thousands of people get where they need to go. But lately, the pride I feel in my job has been met with exhaustion, frustration and pain.
As a baggage handler employed by Prospect Airport Services — which was recently acquired by Unifi, one of the nation’s largest airport contractors — my job is to ensure your bags are loaded and unloaded from the plane safely and on time.
But when there aren’t enough of us on the job, it becomes impossible to keep up. Bags come out, hundreds of bags per flight — and I’m often left to move them all by myself.
I threw out my arm trying to keep up with the nonstop flow of luggage, pulling bags off the carousels as fast as I could, with no backup. One of my co-workers fractured his wrist, and yet another pulled a muscle in his back. A co-worker had a heart attack on the job after working flights with over 600 bags each, entirely by himself — the sheer volume and pace of work put dangerous stress on his heart.
These injuries all happened because one person was expected to do the work of many, making rapid, repetitive movements without any help.
The AFL-CIO recently published a report on the number of work-related deaths, illnesses and injuries across the country, and it showed workplace hazards kill approximately 140,000 workers each year.
If something doesn’t change, more workers will get hurt, more passengers will be frustrated, and O’Hare will feel the impact.
Airlines and our employer, Unifi, rake in profits, and passengers rely on us to do our jobs right, but the workers doing that work are being left behind.
We deserve better from Unifi. We deserve staffing levels that make it possible to do our jobs safely. We deserve rotating jobs so our bodies don’t experience repetitive stress.
We Unifi workers are not asking for the impossible — we’re asking for what’s right: proper staffing and safe working conditions. Because when we’re safe and supported, everyone flies better.
Rosedell Chester, SEIU Local 1 member and baggage handler, O’Hare International Airport
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GOP lawmakers have enabled President Trump to wield his power
It is possible that amid the spirited discussions of President Trump’s anti-democratic ideas about the limits of his power and his responsibilities to his country, we’ve begun to lose sight of a critical fact.
It is clear Trump governs by rage and is either unable or unwilling to control himself. It is no longer to the point to say he is childish. This is a sick individual, incapable of restraining his emotions, lashing out at anyone who opposes him. As he begins what appears to be a final slide into senescence, we need to acknowledge those responsible for his unfettered assault on our democracy.
The Republican Party, in particular those in Congress, have enabled this autocratic performer to wield his improbable power. They bear responsibility for Mr. Trump and all the damage he has caused to our country. It is to be hoped the voters remember who gave them Trump and then closed ranks to protect him.
Michael Raleigh, Lake View
The famous also are accountable for their actions
I will never understand why some rich, powerful and successful people risk everything to commit crimes that could land them in jail for a very long time.
Presently, we have former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan finally facing prison for his many years of political misdeeds. A professional baseball player, making millions, has recently been arrested for gun possession and charges of sexual abuse of an underage girl.
Madigan’s wealth and fame could not save him for spending perhaps his last days on this earth in a prison. As for the talented baseball player, his considerable skills may soon be relegated to shooting hoops in a dreary prison yard.
Perhaps some rich and famous people think they are above the law, especially if they’ve gotten away with something for years. Yet, we see over and over again that one day, almost always, there comes that knock on the door.
Kathleen Melia, Niles
Madigan’s conviction should be warning to others
The conviction and sentencing of Michael Madigan should give pause to those in places of trust who are tempted to misuse their position for personal gain. But those who succumb all seem to be of a common mindset: they are too smart to get caught.
Madigan may nonetheless receive a Get Out of Jail Free card. On the day that he’s due to report to prison, His Nibs in the Oval Office may grant him a pardon just for the pleasure of thumbing his nose at Chicago and the state of Illinois.
Dan McGuire, Bensenville