Lands’ End is under fire in a new class-action lawsuit over allegations their new Delta uniforms caused some flight attendants to experience health issues.
Many occupations require employees to wear some sort of uniform. Maybe yours is one of them. If you have to wear a uniform, though, chances are it doesn’t cause you to break out in a rash and develop headaches. Unfortunately for a few Delta Air Lines flight attendants, this is exactly what happened to them when they were issued new uniforms in 2018. As a result, two flight attendants, Gwyneth Gilbert, and Monica DeCrescentis have filed a class-action lawsuit.
According to the suit, the flight attendants allege that “wearing their uniforms causes skin rashes, headaches, fatigue, and other issues.” The uniforms in question are the ‘Passport Plum’ uniforms made by Lands’ End. Lands’ End is a “global fashion retailer” that issued the uniforms to 64,000 employees back in May 2018. While Delta isn’t listed as a defendant, Lands’ End is.
Filed in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, the class-action suit is seeking more than $5 million in damages. According to Gilbert, when she wears the uniforms, which consist of two dresses, a pantsuit, and a sweater set, she “experienced rashes and skin irritations.” DeCrescentis on the other hand, alleges the suit caused her to experience “skin reactions, headaches and a low white cell blood count over the past year since she has been wearing the uniform.” Additionally, she argues the “dye in the clothing transferred onto her body, sheets, clothes, and bathtub.”
The suit further claims that since flight attendants with Delta are non-union, many are “afraid to complain about the adverse health consequences they are experiencing from uniforms.”
In response to the allegations detailed in the suit, Delta issued the following statement:
“Although Delta and Lands’ End conducted in-depth testing during every step of development, a small number of employees have reported skin irritations. While less than one percent of employees in the new uniform program have reported issues, Delta takes this very seriously and is working directly with employees on solutions that meet their individual needs.”
As a result of DeCrescentis and Gilbert’s experience, the suit argues that Lands’ End was negligent and failed to “use reasonable care in designing, manufacturing, marketing, labeling and selling the uniforms.”
The uniforms in question were designed and created by Zac Posen, a fashion designer in New York. They were unveiled in the fall of 2016 after “extensive testing to make sure they would perform as expected,” and they were introduced to the Delta flight attendants in 2018.
Sources:
Delta flight attendants claim uniforms causing headaches and rashes in lawsuit
Delta flight attendants say Zac Posen uniforms caused health issues
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