Hospitality Workers Call on Broward County Commissioners to Ensure Their Return When Business Comes Back

Now is the time to create more middle-class Union jobs in the South, not eliminate them.

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR MONDAY, APRIL 12

Contact: MJ Leira, (917) 565-7697, [email protected]

WHO: Laid off hospitality workers from the Diplomat Beach Resort

WHAT: Laid off employees fight to get their jobs back by talking to residents in Broward County. They will distribute 10,000 doorhangers highlighting profiles of workers who have been laid off during the pandemic.

WHERE: Broward County Office: 115 S Andrews Ave Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

WHEN: Monday, April 12 at 10:00 AM

Over 650 long-term workers at the Diplomat Beach Resort have a looming deadline of losing their hard-earned Union jobs next month. As South Florida’s tourism industry rebounds laid-off housekeepers, cooks, bellmen, and banquet servers at the Diplomat Beach Resort are leading the way on behalf of all hospitality workers, by calling on Broward County Commissioners to prioritize their return to work.

Layoffs have created an economic impact in Broward County that will leave long-term consequences for its residents. The median hourly wage for a housekeeper in Fort Lauderdale is $11.23 compared to their Union job at the Diplomat at $15.50.

The Diplomat, along with all hotels in Broward County, has a moral obligation to give workers the reassurance that once tourism comes back, their employees will get their jobs back. Laid-off workers have joined their Union, UNITE HERE Local 355, to fight for their right to return to work. Now is the time to create more middle-class union jobs in the South, not eliminate them.

*Opportunities to follow laid-off hospitality workers speaking to residents in Broward County will be available.

UNITE HERE Local 355 is a labor union that represents over 7,000 members in the hospitality industry working in hotels, casinos, restaurants, stadiums, and airports. Over 75% of its members are still out of work as a result.