Skycaps Suit Against American Airlines Expanded to a National Class Action
A recent suit by nine individuals against American Airlines in Boston, Massachusetts has opened the gate to a much wider suit by some of the airline’s national employees. The suit was initiated by skycaps at Massachusetts airport locations who claimed losses of income after the airline initiated a $2 curbside baggage-handling fee.
Skycaps are employees of an airline who handle bags for customers in an airport. As a traditional customer service employee, the skycap is similar to a porter who handled luggage for train travelers. Skycaps receive a low hourly wage and rely on tips for most of their income.
An article on boston.com shows that a federal jury awarded the nine skycaps in the Massachusetts case a total of $325,000. The story adds that on Thursday, Feb. 4, a U.S. District court judge certified a class action suit that would extend the plaintiff base to hundreds of skycaps at 85 airports.
The skycap case, now gaining momentum, is a landmark case in that it seeks compensation for a class of employees whose income is dependent on various changeable factors. As tip earners, skycaps in Boston and around the country are members of a specific type of employee. The outcome of the case will involve whether the new policy of the airline was responsible for the loss of income for the individual plaintiffs and whether the airline had the right to institute the policy if it caused the loss of income.
This case promises to be an influential event in helping to build precedent for cases where employer interest conflicts with the interest of individual workers. Labor and employment lawyers may find that the outcome will show new guidelines for an employer’s responsibility for workers whose income is partially composed of gratuities rather than an hourly wage or a salary. In the meantime, the case may also have an impact on whether airlines continue to employ skycaps at all in a changing industry and a volatile economy.
Michael Monheit is the managing lawyer at Monheit Law, outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has practiced law since 1989. Michael Monheit was the managing attorney of the law offices of Herbert Monheit — now Silverman and Fodera — a firm... Michael Monheit→