Workers Want Flexible Heat Standard as OSHA Eyes Trigger Temp

Even at night, cleaning airplane cabins can be hot, exhausting work. Priscilla Hoyle has often found herself drained from the conditions inside the planes and once had to leave her overnight shift at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

As a lead cabin cleaner for a contractor working for American Airlines—Hoyle said North Carolina has all the ingredients to make cleaning staff like her sweat profusely: humidity, jet engines blowing heat on the tarmac, aircrafts with air conditioning turned off while they clean.

Hoyle is one of many workers advocating with unions—like the Service Employees International Union—seeking safety protections amid ...