Atlanta District 12 Councilman Antonio Lewis is spearheading an investigation into complaints from parking garage attendants and shuttle drivers at Atlanta’s airport who say they’re not properly getting paid.
City leaders will look to resolve the issue during Wednesday’s Transportation Committee meeting.
According to the City of Atlanta, Vectour Transportation Group is a subcontractor for the City’s airport parking operator, SP+. All payments made by the City under the airport parking contract are paid directly to SP+, which is responsible for all payments to its subcontractors.
While the National Association of Government Employees Union says 500 people work for ParkATL, the City of Atlanta says only about 200 employees are impacted.
“Employees also are not receiving the official, accurate paycheck stubs,” said Lewis.
He says if workers are getting paid, it’s happening informally through mobile apps.
“They CashApp you, then they give you a personal check from somebody’s account that they handwrote,” the councilman said.
According to union leaders representing ParkATL employees, some are being denied loans, SNAP benefits and housing without a real pay stub.
“A lot of banks, a lot of apartment complexes in the city of Atlanta, they don’t see that as a legitimate thing,” said Lewis.
Anna Avato, a representative with the National Association of Government Employees Union, brought the issue to the Atlanta City Council during a meeting last week.
“They are the people who keep that airport clean. They are the ones who keep the airport running,” said Avato. “You do not get back and forth from your car to your terminal without touching those folks. If they wanted to, they could shut down the airport.”
She added that Vectour has been collecting union dues without remitting them to the union, resulting in unpaid insurance premiums.
“They’ve gotten letters from insurance companies telling them that their premiums were not paid, and therefore, their insurance has been canceled. People went to try and use their insurance for life-saving care and was denied,” said Avato.
Avato says without a resolution, the union is considering a work stoppage that could impact the airport.
A spokesperson for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport says they’re looking into this issue. Vectour did not respond to a request for comment.
“The City has fulfilled its obligation under our contract, and we expect any vendor working with the City to pay their employees accurately and on time,” said Michael Smith, deputy chief communications officer for the City of Atlanta.
He says its officials are actively engaging with the vendor and reviewing this closely.
“The City’s priority is to ensure Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport operations continue safely and reliably for the traveling public and for our employees who keep ATL running efficiently,” said Smith.
