Marta Sanchez, LAX Passenger Service Worker

Marta Sanchez, 51, cleans airplanes at the Los Angeles International Airport for World Service on her night shift from 11:00 P.M. to 7:30 A.M.  Despite her years of experience, Marta still cannot afford healthcare and is forced to rely on government assistance for her granddaughter’s medical care.

As part of her duties she arranges magazines and cleans the seat back pockets, but sometimes she finds dangerous items left behind.

“I’ve seen sewing needles which can easily poke me through my gloves. It’s definitely a safety issue for me, but also for the next people on the plane if a tiny needle is overlooked.”

A team of eight is standard to clean between eight and ten planes in Marta’s shift. Unfortunately, high turnover often leaves teams under staffed.

“Usually on Friday nights there are only four of us to clean the planes. That is half of what it is supposed to be which makes my job a big challenge to clean every seat, aisle, window, seat pocket, and bathroom.”

Even with only four cleaners, Marta and her coworkers feel pressure to keep up their pace and clean just as well in the same amount of time.

“When we are short staffed, it is difficult to provide the highest quality service that passengers deserve. We have to pay special attention to the first class area and make sure it is extra clean, which is hard to do when there are only four people to cover an entire plane.”

Marta is standing up with her coworkers for quality services and passenger safety at LAX.