Delta Employees Sue Lands' End Over Uniforms

Dodgeville, WI (WorkersCompensation.com) – A group of Delta employees has filed suit against Lands’ End alleging the uniforms the company provided to Delta is making them sick.

The lawsuit, filed in U. S. District Court in Wisconsin, alleges that the uniforms Delta purchased from Lands’ End in 2016 made some of Delta’s employees sick. Lands’ End provided Delta with dresses, skirts, pants, jackets, tops and sweaters. The lawsuit alleges the company used “various chemical additives and finishes” to preserve the fabric from wear and tear, according to Fox Business.

A Lands’ End spokesperson declined to comment when reached by WorkersCompensation.com.

After the uniforms were handed out to more than 64,000 Delta employees in 2018, many employees complained that they began to experience symptoms such as respiratory distress, difficulty breathing, skin reactions, hair loss, migraines, nosebleeds and auto-immune conditions, according to the suit.

“On August 30, 2019, Delta reported that “since launch, 1,900 of [its] 64,000 employees reported some type of concern’ with the Uniforms,” the suit said.

In fact, the website I Am Delta urged those suffering from symptoms to contact the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to request a Health Hazard Evaluation of the uniforms. The Delta flight attendants union page also urged Delta employees to make sure NIOSH tested employees’ actual uniforms.

“Agency representatives stated also that Delta Flight Attendants who are going in for patch testing should bring their own uniforms that they have worn and not the swatches being supplied by Delta. Delta is sending their hand picked swatches to health care providers to be tested and not the actual pieces worn by the Delta Flight Attendants who are going for patch testing. NIOSH stated that Delta Flight Attendants should insist that their uniforms be tested and not the company supplied swatches. If denied, flight attendants should document that denial,” the union stated on its web site. “It was also conveyed to NIOSH that the uniforms that were wear tested were made in the United States and their origination is known. This is not the case for the uniforms that Delta Flight Attendants are now wearing. NIOSH representatives expressed concern regarding this fact.”

Although WorkersCompensation.com reached out to I Am Delta on their Facebook page, and Delta flight attendants, no one responded to requests for comment.

It was not entirely clear why the situation was not filed as workers’ compensation claims.

In a statement to Fox Business, Delta said the safety of its employees was the company’s top priority.

“[W]e invested in a rigorous toxicology study to determine if there was a universal scientific issue with the uniform,” a spokesperson told Fox. “The results of the study confirm our uniforms meet the highest textile standards - OEKO-TEX - with the exception of the optional flight attendant apron, which we removed from the collection.”

The lawsuit is asking that Lands’ End create and fund a “medical monitoring fund” that would help diagnose and treat Delta employees who suffer from adverse reactions to the uniforms. Additionally, the lawsuit seeks reimbursement of attorney’s fees and costs, health monitoring for employees and for the uniform items to be recalled. 

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