As New Legislation in Tallahassee Aims to Cut the Living Wage, Airline Catering Workers in Miami Lead the Fight to Stop it

WHO: Hundreds of airline catering workers who prepare in-flight food and beverage for companies including American Airlines at LSG Sky Chefs with their labor union, UNITE HERE Local 355, and allies.

WHAT: Rally

WHERE: 3500 NW 24th St, Miami, FL 33142

WHEN: Thursday, December 14 at 2:30 pm

WHY: Airline catering workers at Miami International Airport (MIA) are set to rally against proposed legislation aimed to cut the living wage law in Miami-Dade County and other cities across Florida. House Bill 433 would stop counties from making any company pay their employees more than the minimum wage – this is a direct attack at low-wage workers, especially in Miami as it’s become increasingly more expensive to live in.

Miami-Dade County’s “living wage” covers thousands of airport workers and is currently set at $20.34 per hour, but for MIA airline catering workers at Sky Chefs, the minimum hourly pay is just $14.00. Sky Chefs workers need support to earn the living wage, not new legislation that aims to cut their means to survive in Miami.

Airline catering workers prepare, pack, and deliver food and beverages served aboard flights for American Airlines and other major U.S. airlines. Two-thirds of the food and drink on board flights departing from MIA are prepared by airline catering workers at Sky Chefs. Workers are calling to be included in the living wage and are ready to fight back against any legislation that aims to stop it.

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UNITE HERE Local 355 is the hospitality workers’ union in South Florida, representing 6,000 workers in hotels, airports, restaurant, stadiums, and casinos.

Inflation Crunch in the Sunshine State: The Invisible Workforce That Powers Miami International Airport is About to Erupt.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Labor union’s new report finds cost-of-living emergency for Sky Chefs workers at MIA.

 

***DOWNLOAD B-ROLL HERE ***

 

MIAMI, FL—On Wednesday, October 11th hundreds of Miami International Airport (MIA) airline catering workers marched outside their workplace at LSG Sky Chefs for higher wages, saying they can’t keep up with Miami’s expensive cost of living. This report shows key data to the economic crisis workers are facing. Last week, the County living wage for thousands of covered airport workers increased to $20.34 – but for Sky Chefs, the minimum is just $14.00. Airline catering workers prepare, pack, and deliver food and beverages served aboard flights for American Airlines and other major U.S. airlines. Two-thirds of the food and drink on board flights departing from MIA are prepared by airline catering workers at Sky Chefs. Though their work is essential to airline operations, the median wage for a worker at the catering contractor LSG Sky Chefs is $16 per hour. Workers are calling for an immediate raise to $20 per hour.

 

Maria Sanchez, food plater at Sky Chefs at the Miami International Airport spoke at the march saying: “In 2001, I came to Miami from Cuba. I was a single mom with a dream to have a good job so I could pay my bills and buy a house. I believed, like most immigrants, that if you worked hard enough you could make a good life here. At Sky Chefs, that is not true. I work 40 hours a week and can’t pay all my bills. My American Dream never happened. I can’t buy a house or live making $16.10. Last year alone, my rent went up $900! Now, I pay, $2,700 a month. My expenses cost more than what I’m making.”

 

As strikes break out across the country, the airline catering workers’ union UNITE HERE Local 355 says that these workers are putting a face to what the fight looks like in Miami-Dade. Sky Chefs workers voted by 99% to authorize a strike at any time. While hospitality workers are going through economic crisis, they marched to call attention to the crisis. Their union says that airline catering workers are often invisible to travelers, but flights cannot depart on time without them.

 

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UNITE HERE Local 355 is the hospitality workers’ union in South Florida, representing 6,000 workers in hotels, airports, restaurant, stadiums, and casinos.

South Florida’s Hospitality Workers Union Endorses Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava in Reelection Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—FRIDAY, September 22

 

Miami, FL– On Friday morning, September 22, 150 union housekeepers, cooks, dishwashers, airport concessions workers, servers, and bellmen gathered at their Leadership Summit to speak about the difficult economic situation workers are facing and their plan to raise the standard for hospitality workers in South Florida.

 

At this event the union formally endorsed Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. Wendi Walsh, Secretary-Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 355 said, “We are immensely proud to have a mayor who not only understands us but also stands shoulder to shoulder with our members as a true partner. We are proud to endorse Mayor Daniella once again as we continue to work together toward a more affordable, thriving, and worker-friendly Miami-Dade County.”

 

The mayor was introduced by Maria Sanchez, Food Plater at Sky Chefs saying why she’s fighting for a raise and supporting the mayor in her reelection, “I work 40 hours a week and can’t pay all my bills. Since leaving Cuba, my American Dream never happened. I can’t buy a house or live making $16.10. Last year alone, my rent went up $900! In difficult times it’s important to know we have a strong leader that support us. When the pandemic happened, we knew we needed real leadership. I knocked on Latino voters’ doors, with my coworkers, fulltime for 3 months to elect Daniella Levine Cava our new County Mayor. I’m proud our union has decided to support Mayor Levine Cava again!”

 

Workers and unions are under continued state-level attack. Last year, the Florida Legislature considered a bill repealing local living wage ordinances – taking dollars directly out of workers’ pockets – which was defeated due to successful union advocacy. As Florida has become the inflation hotspot of the country, working people are facing unprecedented challenges. Now more than ever, we need solutions, support, and pro-union leadership to navigate these tough economic times.

 

“I am deeply honored to once again receive the endorsement of UNITE HERE Local 355. Over the last three years, our county government has made significant progress in supporting working people and their families. Yet, there remains much more work ahead to further improve their lives,” says Mayor Levine Cava. “Together, we will continue to defend workers’ rights and build a more equitable Miami-Dade with an economy that works for everybody.”

 

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UNITE HERE Local 355 is the hospitality workers’ union in South Florida, representing 6,000 workers in hotels, airports, restaurant, stadiums, and casinos.

Levy Restaurants at Marlins Stadium Workers Won A $20 Minimum Wage

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, May 2, 2023

CONTACT: MJ Leira, [email protected]

Labor unions prove to be the answer for South Florida workers

**Download photos and videos here**

Watch Facebook Livestream here

UNITE HERE Local 355, the labor union that represents food-service workers at the Marlins’ LoanDepot park, reached a tentative agreement with Levy Restaurants, a part of Compass Group USA. Through this agreement, food service workers will receive a minimum increase of nearly $10 per hour over 4 years.

This is a step towards raising South Florida and lifting Black and Latino workers out of poverty into strong middle-class jobs.

Currently, the median wage for hourly workers employed by Levy at the Marlins’ LoanDepot Stadium is $14.30 per hour. Through this tentative agreement, workers will receive an immediate raise to a guarantee of earning $20 an hour – and depending on their classification, they’ll earn wages up to $30.00 an hour by April 1, 2026.

Dorothina Hamilton was born and raised in Overtown, Miami and has worked as a cook, at Marlins stadium. She says, “I earn $15.30 an hour, but through this contract I won a $9.50 raise – I’ll be making $24.77 by 2026. This is a sigh of relief. Just last month my rent went up $500. I’ll use this raise to pay my rent and for my insulin medication.”

Last year, UNITE HERE Local 355 housekeepers and cooks won a $20 minimum wage through union contracts at the Fontainebleau and Diplomat hotels. Their decision to fight for a higher standard for their families made a $20 wage a reality for some hotel workers. That momentum has continued this year. The union will continue to organize and set a $20 wage standard so South Florida workers can stay afloat.

Wendi Walsh, Secretary-Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 355 closed the press conference saying, “This is an incredible victory. Levy Restaurants has delivered substantial raises across the board. We will continue to organize and hold other companies, like LSG Sky Chefs at Miami International Airport accountable to raise the standard for all hospitality workers. The time to Raise South Florida is now.”

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UNITE HERE Local 355 is a labor union that represents over 5,000 members working in the hotel, gaming, food service, and airport industries in South Florida.

We Work. We Want to Live.

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As Miami Becomes Most Expensive City Florida Politicians Propose to Bar Local Governments from Requiring Higher Wages

MIAMI, FL— An already high cost of living has skyrocketed in Miami-Dade. As Miamians are faced with rising rent, low-wage immigrant workers are some of the most impacted. Now, as Miami Dade residents are working to recover what was lost from the pandemic, Florida State legislators have proposed legislation that could cut their wages to $10.00 an hour.

After years of advocacy by South Florida’s hospitality workers’ union, UNITE HERE Local 355, enacted a living wage of $17.62 per hour—$14.03 in wages plus $3.59 for health insurance—for all airport workers at MIA with the support of the Miami-Dade County Commission and Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. Since then, Local 355 has been pushing to protect wages as state legislators in Tallahassee propose to eliminate the County requirement through a so-called preemption bill SB1124/HB943. If passed, this law would make most living wage requirements in Miami-Dade County and other Florida counties unenforceable, including living wage requirements currently covering airport concessions workers in Miami-Dade and Broward.

Union leaders have been meeting with legislators to explain why the preemption bill is bad for workers who are also constituents. If SB1124/HB943 is passed, Miami-Dade County could not require employers to pay more than the current $10 an hour state minimum wage.

“State legislators are threatening to take money directly out of the pockets of the people who have showed up to work throughout the roller coasters of this pandemic,” said Wendi Walsh, Secretary-Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 355. “We know no one can sustain themselves or their families on $10. Most union workers will be protected by wages secured in their contract, but this will be devastating for non-union workers,” Walsh added.

Hospitality workers are speaking up. Rose Marcelin, who has been a cook at HMS Host Jose Cuervo at Miami International Airport for 20 years, says, “I’m a single mother of three. Miami is an expensive city and cost of living has gone up drastically. All my money goes towards my bills. I’ve worked at the airport for 20 years—the living wage is the minimum I should earn. I need it. My coworkers need it. I’m going to do everything I can from here to Tallahassee to protect it.”