Two travel groups left behind in Miami’s economic boom are making demands — here’s why

Billions of dollars have poured into South Florida since the COVID pandemic, but not everyone is seeing benefits from the boost in tech and finance.

Two groups protested this week in Florida, seeking higher pay and better working conditions.

On Tuesday, about 100 flight attendants picketed outside Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and 250 were near Miami International Airport in what was called a “Day of Action.”

On Wednesday, thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers went on strike in 10 cities nationwide. Miami, Orlando and Tampa were hit hard as the Justice for App Workers Coalition called for no rides from Miami International Airport and others in the state for the day. The group, which represents thousands of rideshare and delivery drivers in Florida, said this was the first rideshare workers’ strike in Miami since Uber started in 2014.

While the groups have different backgrounds — the drivers are largely immigrants, for example — they share day-to-day struggle of getting by and the feeling of being left behind, they say in interviews.

Here’s what to know about the protests and what happens next:

Which flight attendants were protesting?

The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, Transportation Workers Union and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants co-organized the informational picket. These unions represent flight attendants at Alaska, Southwest, United and American Airlines, among others. The protest was nationwide with thousands of flight attendants picketing outside more than 30 airports.

The number of flight attendants protesting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport could have been larger, but Fort Lauderdale Aviation Association restricts number of picketers at the airport

Nationwide, other labor unions such as the Airline Pilots Association, the United Auto Workers (UAW), and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers joined the protests.

What is the flight attendant protest about?

About 100,000 flight attendants in the United States currently sit at the bargaining table, meaning they have been working in the friendly skies without a contract. United Airlines and American Airlines are in such a position. The pickets intend to persuade management to negotiate new contracts that employees consider fair.

United Airlines flight attendants have been without a contract for two years and five months, Kristin Smith, AFA Local 22 vice president, said in an interview with the Miami Herald. This is their fourth picket in the last six months. Alaska, and Southwest are in similar positions, she said.

This comes as airlines show profitability and this year is forecast to see the highest volume of air travel in history: 4.7 billion air passengers worldwide, according to the International Air Transport Association. Meanwhile, flight attendants have endured increasingly unruly passengers, understaffed flights and tough working conditions.

“Flight attendants are fighting corporate greed,” said Sara Nelson, AFA-CWA international president.

Many of them have not had raises in years because new contracts haven’t been signed. Pilots got them last year.

Flight attendants at American Airlines, which accounts for about 70% of traffic at Miami International Airport, have gone without a contract for over five years, Randy Trautman, Miami-based president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, said in an interview with the Herald. That means they have not had a pay increase since Jan. 1, 2019, he noted.

“They have not had a raise. They have not had an increase in per diem. They have not had an increase in retirement,” said the union leader. “The company has refused to even offer retroactive pay for the five years we’ve been without a raise.”

At American, the union and management started negotiating in 2018. They took a two-year break during COVID. They have been in mediation since June 2023.

How much do flight attendants typically earn?

At American Airlines, newly hired flight attendants make close to $30,000 a year, according to Trautman. “These kids are not even able to eat.”

With five years of experience, they make about $36,000 per year. The top pay, after 13 years of experience, is around $61,000. These figures are inexact because income also depends on how much one flies. But these are approximations based on a full flying schedule, Trautman noted.

“For Miami, this is not even a sustainable wage,” Trautman lamented. About 3,500 American Airlines flight attendants are based in South Florida.

As a reference, another source, the independent site Glassdoor says the salary for flight attendants at American ranges from $44,451 to $79,175 but that includes bonuses, not just base pay.

Have any of the airlines offered any justification for the delay?

According to Trautman, American has said it will “basically match anybody in the industry but they will not exceed anyone in the industry.”

The reason that’s a problem for flight attendants is that United has been without a contract, Delta does not have a union, and Southwest workers rejected their contract, “so that leaves us really with no benchmark,” he noted.

Where are the two sides with proposals?

According to Trautman, the union’s initial offer was 35% immediate salary increase with subsequent 6%, 6%, and 5% annual increases, plus pay for boarding. Management’s last offer was 11% immediate salary increases, 2% for each of the next four years plus boarding pay. The union has come down to 33% but management has yet to counter to that offer.

Have any airlines responded to the picketing?

▪ United Airlines sent the Miami Herald the following statement:

“The federal mediator requested by the AFA has scheduled our first negotiations session for March 19. We’re looking forward to working with AFA to narrow the issues so that we can continue to work toward an industry-leading agreement for our flight attendants.”

▪ American Airlines sent the Herald the following message:

“We appreciate and respect our flight attendants’ right to picket and understand that is their way of telling us the importance of getting a contract done — and we hear them. We have a proven track record of reaching new agreements for our team, ensuring they are paid at the top of the industry. That’s our same goal for our flight attendants.

“The proposal we’ve had on the table since September 2023 includes increased pay, the addition of boarding pay and other meaningful improvements. We remain at the negotiating table, ready to make a deal — and we are confident that we will reach a new agreement soon.”

What happens now with airlines vs. flight attendants?

With United, the flight attendants’ union, AFA, will meet with management and a federal mediator on March 19.

For American, the union and the negotiating team on both sides and their legal advisors will meet in Washington, D.C., on March 13, along with the Mediation Board.

The company has indicated it wants a deal, and the union has too.

“We want to showcase that we have narrowed the scope of all the issues. The contract has 40 sections, and we have narrowed it to about a couple of sections left” to haggle over, Trautman said.

What is left though are wages, retirement, per diem and 401K.

Why is the National Mediation Board involved?

The unions called in the National Mediation Board because airline employees do not have the right to strike like autoworkers do.

Their negotiations are governed under the Railway Labor Act. The airline unions are only able to strike if the Mediation Board releases the parties into what is deemed a cooling off period.

“We’ve asked for a release,” said Trautman, and for the second time. “It will help us move the needle.”

Who was involved in the rideshare worker protests?

Justice for App Workers, a national group, represents more than 130,000 rideshare drivers and delivery workers. The strike hit 10 cities nationally, three in Florida: Miami, Orlando and Tampa. Other U.S. cities were Chicago, Philadelphia and Newark.

What was the rideshare protest about?

Drivers are starting to see “less and less money from each ride,” the group says. That comes as the cost of living in South Florida has skyrocketed over the past 14 months and remains high. They are also being requested to pay for all work expenses.

One result is that many drivers are opting to stay at home instead of drive. They also say rideshare drivers face increasing violence and zero job protections.

Justice for App Workers says it is seeking “living wages, a safe working environment, an end to unfair deactivation, quality healthcare benefits, reliable bathroom access, and the right to form a union.”

This all comes as identity theft is on the rise, Jonathan Cruz, a full-time Uber and Lyft driver living in Fort Lauderdale, told the Herald in an interview. That is a particular problem in Florida — meaning people steal someone else’s Social Security number and driver’s license and set up their own Uber or Lyft driving accounts, and then start driving around passengers.

“There’s a big mafia in South Florida,” doing that, Cruz said. And the problem is getting worse, in his estimation.

The 31-year-old worked as a rideshare driver in New York for four years and then moved to South Florida three years ago. “Once I moved here to Miami, I saw the problems right away,” he noted.

What do the rideshare drivers want?

First, drivers want more money per ride. Initially, they were getting about 80% of the fare, said Cruz. But that has now fallen to 20% to 30%, he said.

Second, they would like Florida to emulate New York, which requires drivers have a “for hire” license, or what’s informally known as a hack license, and a commercial license.

“We’re trying to get the same model as New York,” Cruz said.

The licensing and fees would also be a source of revenue for the counties.

Have any companies responded to rideshare driver protests?

▪ Lyft sent the following to the Miami Herald:

“We are constantly working to improve the driver experience, which is why just this month we released a series of new offers and commitments aimed at increasing driver pay and transparency. This includes a new earnings commitment and an improved deactivation appeals process. Now, drivers will always make at least 70% of the weekly rider fares after external fees. It’s all part of our new customer-obsessed focus on drivers.”

Lyft also announced new safety features last week including connecting drivers with trained ADT security agents in real-time via one-way video and easier driver deactivation appeal.

▪ Uber hasn’t responded to the Miami Herald’s request for comment.