Just days after being cited on a list of employers with the worst safety records, a contractor at New York City airports was hit with more employee complaints.
Alliance Ground International (AGI) – named in the National Conference on Occupational Safety and Health’s annual “Dirty Dozen” Report – was the subject of two unsafe working condition complaints made with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The complaints were filed on May 1 by the labor union 32BJ SEIU on behalf of 21 workers at LaGuardia and JFK airports.
On Friday morning, more than 100 airport workers, union representatives, and elected officials held a press conference at JFK to announce the filing of the complaints. The complaints, described to Documented by 32BJ SEIU, allege multiple unsafe work violations such as dangerous equipment problems, insufficient training, and a lack of personal protective equipment. The union stated it could not share the actual complaints, citing privacy concerns for the workers named in them. An email confirmation from OSHA’s Queens District Office was shared with Documented via the union, confirming the agency received the two complaints.
At JFK airport, 32BJ SEIU told Documented that AGI workers from three buildings alleged multiple reports of workplace injuries and illnesses, including multiple alleged incidents in which a worker was struck by a forklift, multiple reports of falls, and a reported hospitalization due to heat illness in the summer of 2024.
32BJ SEIU told Documented that in the second complaint, workers at LaGuardia Airport reported hazardous conditions at the worksite, including poorly maintained forklifts, repeated flooding of warehouse floors during rain, as well as unsanitary personal protective equipment like gloves and face shields for aircraft lavatory service.
Robert Morace, Assistant Area Director of OSHA’s Queens District Office, did not respond to Documented’s request for comment.
John Mosquera, a 25-year-old Dominican AGI ramp agent for Frontier Airlines at LaGuardia, says conditions are so bad he fears going to work.
“Every single day I come to work wondering if I’m going to make it home safe at the end of my shift,” he said in a statement to Documented. “We’re out there driving tugs, loading bags, working around heavy machinery, and doing hard physical work in extreme temperatures. ”
President of 32BJ SEIU, Manny Pastreich, called out AGI for its unsafe working conditions
“This should be a wake-up call for JFK and LGA. When airport workers are treated as expendable, when they aren’t given true dignity on the job, everyone loses,” he said in a statement to Documented.
Responding to Documented’s request for comment regarding the allegations, Drew Kofeldt, AGI’s Chief Safety Officer, said they cannot speak on specific facts but stressed the company’s commitment to safety and that they will cooperate with OSHA.
“AGI has not received any notification from OSHA that AGI employees at JFK or LGA recently filed complaints with that agency,” he said in a statement. “Therefore, AGI is not in a position to respond to the specific allegations contained in your email. I can assure you, however, that AGI takes all safety and regulatory matters seriously. We will fully investigate and respond to any OSHA inquiries we receive.”
AGI employs approximately 600 AGI workers at JFK and another 55 workers at LaGuardia Airport. As one of the fastest-growing ground handling companies in the country, AGI, – which employs over 12,000 workers across 62 airports in both the United States and Canada – lists safety as its paramount principle, claiming to “put the safety of our employees above all else.”
The recent allegations are not the first time the company has been called out for its workplace safety record.
“AGI claims workplace safety is a top priority, yet its workers have been revealing a different reality,” said Pastreich. “Since last year, [workers] have been raising the alarm about dangerous working conditions at LGA and JFK.”
Between 2016 and 2024, OSHA fined AGI for at least 18 workplace safety violations across multiple states, totaling $187,266 in federal penalties. Some of the cases were for repeat and willful offenses, according to OSHA data.
The company has also failed to file OSHA 300 forms that track workplace injuries, according to a review of OSHA data. Federal regulations require that employers of establishments with at least 20 workers submit the form to OSHA annually. OSHA data has shown that AGI failed to submit the form for dozens of worksites across the country.
Kofeldt insists that AGI takes workplace safety seriously, highlighting the company’s robust Safety Management System certified under the International Air Transport Association’s Safety Audit for Ground Operations framework.
“We have dedicated safety resources at JFK and LGA with additional oversight from regional safety managers, active Health and Safety Committees at both locations with engagement from employees and station leadership, and a preventative maintenance program for all ground support equipment,” he said in a statement. “We also have a comprehensive training program that includes initial, recurrent, and on-the-job training delivered through a combination of a Learning Management System, classroom instruction, and hands-on skills training. All required PPE is provided to employees by the company. Both the JFK and LGA stations are fully compliant with OSHA recordkeeping, posting, and reporting requirements.”
In 2024, an AGI cargo worker at LaGuardia filed an unfair labor practice charge against the company with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for allegedly suspending him when he asked his manager for water during his shift. The case is still open. In the same year, at Newark Airport, 32BJ filed two additional charges with the NLRB, alleging that AGI management interfered in protected union activity. Both cases are pending investigation by the NLRB and remain open. AGI denied the NLRB charges when Documented inquired in 2025.
The following year, in 2025, workers at Newark filed a complaint with the New Jersey Department of Labor, alleging that AGI violated New Jersey’s labor law and owed workers $2 million in back pay for failing to provide them with paid time off, holidays, and hourly health and welfare supplements. AGI denied all the allegations at the time of reporting.
Last December, an unnamed AGI executive was indicted in a years-long bribery and money laundering scheme at JFK. New York Attorney General Letitia James alleged that an AGI executive was involved in a conspiracy that allegedly used fraudulent invoices and cash payments to bribe a high-level Delta employee in order to secure lucrative subcontractor contracts. The case is ongoing.
Worker safety rights advocate and executive director of the New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health, Charlene Obernauer, urged AGI to immediately address its safety issues.
“AGI must immediately address its laundry list of shocking health and safety violations stemming directly from the company’s failure to meet basic standards of safety and humane treatment,” she told Documented in a statement. “Providing workers with functioning equipment, PPE, and safety training is not a luxury; it is a human right. We urge AGI to work with 32BJ to immediately come to the table to address worker health and safety concerns.”
