AGI Sues SEIU Over Claims About Working Conditions at JFK and LaGuardia

Alliance Ground International (AGI) has sued the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), accusing the union of making false and misleading statements about working conditions at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport.

The complaint describes a conflict over workplace safety and how employees should choose union representation. AGI says the union has targeted its customers and other business contacts to damage those relationships and pressure the company to recognize the union without giving workers the opportunity to decide through a vote. The company has filed a lawsuit and sought a preliminary injunction; the source does not report a ruling on that request.

Workers’ complaints and OSHA investigation

SEIU Local 32BJ says workers at both airports have reported heat-related illness, vehicle safety problems, workplace injuries and inadequate training. Its allegations include malfunctioning brakes, vehicles in unsafe operating condition and some vehicles without mirrors. The union also says workers have raised concerns about unsafe conditions more broadly.

The agency’s review means the workplace allegations are being examined separately from AGI’s claims about the union’s conduct. The source does not provide a timetable, findings or details about any operational changes made during the investigation.

Manny Pastreich, president of 32BJ SEIU, said airport workers had been raising safety concerns for more than a year. He cited two reports of workers passing out in the heat and said one worker faced retaliation after asking for water on one of the hottest days of the year. Pastreich welcomed OSHA’s investigation and said the union stood with workers seeking safe and respectful conditions. These are the union’s claims; AGI disputes the broader statements it says have been directed at its customers.

AGI contests the union’s approach

In its complaint, AGI characterizes SEIU and its northeastern affiliate, Local 32BJ, as running an organized campaign intended to harm the company’s customer relationships and cause economic damage. AGI says union representatives have approached its business partners in Miami and other locations with the aim of persuading them to end ties with the handler. The company argues that this pressure is intended to secure recognition without allowing employees to choose whether they want union representation.

AGI also says the campaign is based on misleading information and could cost the company substantial business. Its complaint warns that lost business may lead to a smaller South Florida workforce, affecting employees and the Miami community, as well as operations elsewhere. Those statements reflect AGI’s position in the lawsuit; the source does not establish that customers have ended contracts or that staffing reductions have occurred.

The company says it has invested millions of dollars in safety programs and employee training, and holds IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) certification. That certification and the stated investment are part of AGI’s response, while the union’s reported concerns focus on conditions workers say they have experienced at the two New York airports. The available account does not detail the programs, training schedules, vehicle inspection procedures or how the company has addressed the specific allegations.

Airport operations and customer exposure

AGI’s staffing at the two airports shows the scale of the locations named in the dispute. The handler employs roughly 600 people at JFK, including cargo warehouse agents, cargo ramp agents, cargo office agents and security officers. At LaGuardia, it employs 60 ramp agents, ticket agents, cargo warehouse agents and cargo office agents.

At JFK, AGI serves Delta Air Lines, KLM, Virgin Atlantic, LATAM, China Southern and AirZeta. Its LaGuardia customers include Southwest Airlines and American Airlines. AGI’s lawsuit specifically describes pressure on customer relationships, making these airport accounts relevant to the company’s allegations; the source does not say that any named airline has changed its arrangements with AGI.

Headquartered in Miami, AGI operates at more than 60 airports in North America and employs over 12,000 people. Lone Star completed its acquisition of the handler in March. The case now puts attention on two connected questions: what OSHA finds about the reported working conditions, and how the court assesses AGI’s claims about the union’s communications and the requested injunction. For airport customers and workers, the practical picture will depend on those developments and on whether the underlying safety concerns receive documented answers.