NEW YORK—Mayor Bill de Blasio and Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Peter A. Hatch today announced a settlement agreement with American Airlines to resolve violations of the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law. As part of the settlement, American Airlines’ federal lawsuit arguing that the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law does not apply to airport workers will be dropped. The settlement also requires American Airlines to pay $220,000 to 598 ground crew workers whose rights had been violated, including its management and support staff, fleet service and mechanical employees, and passenger service employees, and to comply with the law going forward by updating their safe and sick policy which will improve access to leave for thousands of ground crew workers.

DCWP’s workplace-wide investigation found that American Airlines illegally assigned disciplinary points for each sick day used by ground crew workers and therefore illegally retaliated against employees for using sick leave. The airline also failed to pay employees for sick leave at the required rate, failed to allow employees to use accrued sick leave, illegally required advance notice of the unforeseeable need to use sick leave, illegally required medical documentation for sick leave absences of three or fewer days, and failed to provide employees with the Notice of Employee Rights.

American Airlines denying its workers sick leave and putting their health at risk is just inhumane,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Paid safe and sick leave is critical for the safety and well-being of employees and we will continue to hold corporations accountable if they choose to violate the law. I applaud DCWP for getting these workers the money they deserve

Today’s settlement is a clear statement that NYC airport workers are entitled to the protections of our Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law,” said DCWP Commissioner Peter A. Hatch. “These employees work in major transportation hubs where tens of thousands of people are passing through daily. Forcing them to choose between going into work sick or getting in trouble for taking a sick day is not only illegal but a risk to public health. Paid sick leave is especially critical right now during this pandemic and no worker should face retaliation for exercising their right to sick leave. We thank the brave workers who came forward and urge any worker facing these problems at work to file a complaint with us.

The settlement requires American Airlines to:

Pay $220,000 in restitution to 598 workers;
Implement a safe and sick leave policy that is compliant with the Law and corrects the violations in the company’s prior policy;
Post and distribute the Notice of Employee Rights to all staff;
Train all human resources personnel with direct oversight of the employees on the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law; and
Appoint a compliance officer to monitor and report on compliance with the Law.

Under the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law, employers with five or more employees and employers of domestic workers in New York City must provide paid safe and sick leave to employees. Employers with fewer than five employees and a net income of $ 1 million or more, and employers with between five and 99 employees must provide 40 hours of paid leave. Employers with 100 or more employees must provide up to 56 hours of paid leave. Employers with fewer than five employees and a net income of less than $1 million must provide unpaid safe and sick leave. Safe and sick leave is accrued at a rate of one hour of leave for every 30 hours worked, and begins on the employee ’s first day of employment. Employers of five or more employees who do not front-load safe and sick leave on the first day of a new calendar year must allow employees to carry over up to 40 or 56 hours of unused safe and sick leave from one calendar year to the new calendar year, depending on the size of the employer.

If the need to use leave is foreseeable, employers can require up to seven days advance notice to use accrued leave. If the need is unforeseeable, employers may require notice as soon as practicable. Employers can require documentation for more than three consecutive workdays of leave, but it is illegal to require that documentation specify the reason for using it. Employers may not engage in or threaten retaliation against employees, which includes firing and any act that punishes an employee for or is likely to deter an employee from exercising their rights under the Law.
Since the Law went into effect, DCWP has received more than 2,470 complaints about Paid Safe and Sick Leave, closed more than 2,175 investigations, and obtained resolutions requiring more than $13.9 million in combined fines and restitution for more than 37,515 workers.
DCWP’s case was handled by Supervising Investigator Juana Abreu, Senior Enforcement Counsel Emily Hoffman under the supervision of Litigation Director Claudia Henriquez of DCWP’s Office of Labor Policy & Standards, which is led by Deputy Commissioner Benjamin Holt, and Law Department Senior Counsel Annette Lalic.

Employers and employees can visit nyc.gov/workers or call 311 (212-NEW-YORK outside NYC) for more information about the NYC Paid Safe and Sick Leave Law, including the required new Notice of Employee of Rights, which is available in 26 languages, one-page overviews for employers and employees, and the complaint form.

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CHICAGO – Mayor Brandon Johnson today unveiled the design of Satellite Concourse 1, the first major component of the once-in-a-generation expansion and modernization project known as the O’Hare 21 Terminal Area Plan.

The new concourse, which will serve both international and domestic passengers, is one of the largest components of O’Hare 21, a curb-to-gate transformation of O’Hare’s terminal complex into a modern, efficient global hub designed to create a more efficient and comfortable experience for travelers.

“Chicago’s airports play a critical role in the country’s aviation system and our local economy, impacting more than 700,000 jobs across the region and contributing more than $70 billion in economic activity. Investments in our airports are truly investments in our communities, generating new career opportunities for the people and families of Chicago and creating generational wealth among local entrepreneurs,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “Moving on to the next phase of O’Hare expansion has required a full force of government approach, led by my administration, from our federal leaders and legislators to the team at the Chicago Department of Aviation, and I look forward to continuing this work with our airline partners as we build the O’Hare of tomorrow together.”

“With the airlines accepting the phasing plan from the City of Chicago, we can preserve O’Hare as a major asset for many decades to come,” U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said. “The Terminal Area Plan will provide new, spacious concourses with passenger amenities, and gates that can accommodate a variety of aircraft. I want to thank Mayor Brandon Johnson and Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Jamie Rhee for their leadership in reaching this milestone, and for keeping the future of Chicago at the heart of their decisions. I will continue to work with the Illinois Congressional Delegation to support O’Hare in any way I can.”

Architectural renderings for Satellite Concourse 1 released by the City today showcase a unique design led by renowned Chicago architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) with Ross Barney Architects, Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects (JGMA), and Arup.
“We designed the new satellite concourse to create a frictionless experience for travelers, on par with the best airports in the world,” said SOM Design Partner Scott Duncan. “The gate lounges feature column-free expanses for easy wayfinding, high ceilings to optimize views, and a daylighting strategy to help align the body’s natural rhythms — all to make the experience of air travel more pleasurable. We are excited for our team to lead the way on O’Hare 21 and to establish a new standard of excellence for O’Hare.”

Satellite Concourse 1 adds 19 new gates and is designed to flexibly accommodate different sizes of aircraft bodies, increasing operational efficiency for carriers and reducing layover transfers for passengers in one of the nation’s busiest airports. Work on the project began in March 2023 with the construction of several temporary taxiways and a new grade-separated roadway, the reconfiguration of Taxiway B, and the construction of three new temporary gates off Concourse C, which opened this spring.

Satellite 1 is the first major component of the much larger Terminal Area Plan, which includes as its chief components two new satellite concourses, a new O’Hare Global Terminal replacing Terminal 2, and an underground tunnel connecting the facilities.

An agreement with O’Hare’s hub carriers announced by the Johnson administration earlier this month will prioritize design, construction, and delivery of the O’Hare Global Terminal to bring forward its benefits to the traveling public sooner. Design and engineering experts retained by the CDA and its diverse team of contractors are actively working to progress the design and review the timeline for the O’Hare Global Terminal and Satellite Concourse 2 to meet the terms of this agreement, and the City will share the results of that work over the next six to 12 months.

“From his first day in office, Mayor Johnson made clear to the CDA that we must be responsible stewards of all public funds, including those committed by our valued airline partners,” said CDA Commissioner Jamie L. Rhee. “I thank the airlines for their continued investment in the Chicago market, and for their ongoing collaboration as we work to minimize operational impacts throughout the complex construction activities that lie ahead as we further advance Satellite Concourse 1.”

Mayor Johnson has made remarkable progress advancing airport infrastructure projects during his first year in office, including:

Breaking ground on the $300 million ElevateT3 project, the first major investment in facilities at O’Hare Terminal 3 since the 1980s. The upgrades were supported by $90 million in grant funding from President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, secured with the tremendous support of the Illinois Congressional delegation

The completion of the $400 million Midway Modernization Program, an eight-year investment in the passenger experience at Midway International Airport completed thanks to the Johnson administration’s commitment to the diverse local businesses central to the final phase of that capital plan: a $75 million upgrade to Midway’s concessions operations.

Ongoing investments at O’Hare Terminal 5, including a new, six-story parking garage which construction crews topped out this month. When it opens in October, the new structure will more than double the amount of available parking at the terminal, which serves both domestic and international passengers.

As of March, the O’Hare 21 capital program has a minority- and women-owned business participation rate of 38%. This is the result of Mayor Johnson’s ongoing work to diversify contracts, engage local and minority-owned businesses, and ensure that expansion plans for O’Hare include many opportunities for a wide range of residents and businesses to share in the city’s economic success.

Satellite Concourse 1 and the infrastructure projects associated with the development is anticipated to create more than 3,800 construction jobs. The City selected AECOM Hunt Clayco Bowa as Construction Manager At-Risk for the concourse and related infrastructure in February.

Work begins this summer on a stormwater project that will support the future elimination of a detention basin west of the future satellite concourse to an expanded basin on the southeast end of the airfield. The current timeline calls for the completion of the Satellite Concourse 1 as an extension of Concourse C in 2028.