Delta to replace employee uniforms following lawsuit

Delta will replace uniforms for some of its employees after a lawsuit alleged they cause serious health problems, the airline announced Wednesday.  

Delta said the new uniforms will launch late next year, with the airline providing updates to its existing uniforms in the interim and offering new alternative choices. 

“In response to our employees, we’ve taken steps over the past few months to address feedback received about the uniform, including offering alternative garments, hiring fabric experts, and conducting comprehensive chemical testing,” Ekrem Dimbiloglu, director of the new uniform program, said in a statement. 

“This is a big decision, but we side with our people, and we are making a change.”

Delta’s announcement comes after hundreds of the airline’s employees filed a second lawsuit earlier this month; the first was filed in October, against the clothing company Lands’ End. 

The employees reportedly alleged the uniforms caused a variety of health problems, including skin rashes, hair loss, low white blood cell counts, migraines and breathing difficulties, and claimed Lands’ End was negligent and failed to recall the uniforms when the issues began to surface. 

An official for Lands’ End was not immediately available for comment when contacted by The Hill on Thursday.  

The company refused to comment on the suit, according to CNN, and issued a statement that did not directly address Delta’s decision to change some uniforms. 

Lands’ End reportedly said that its “garments meet or exceed the strictest global standard,” adding “we value our partnership with Delta and are pleased to continue to work with them to supply safe, innovative uniforms that meet their program needs.”