Coinciding with ‘May Day’ protests across the country against the Trump administration, workers in Miami’s hospitality industry rallied Thursday for a union contract that would include increased workplace protections and fairer wages.
Hundreds of workers and union supporters from Miami-Dade and Broward trotted into downtown Miami to support the rally.
“I have a family, I have a partner and I need to pay my mortgage,” said Jose Barbato, a banquet server at Hyatt Regency Miami. He said he's worked at the hotel for 19 years doing long, physically demanding shifts.
Hotel workers at the Hyatt Regency Miami have gone without a union contract since December 31, according to a representative from UNITE HERE Local 355, the union representing thousands of South Florida workers in the hospitality sector, one of the region's largest employers because of the tourism industry.
“As we all know, workers today in this country have to stand up and fight for themselves and it’s really up to us. It’s up to us to protect each other, to stand up for each other’s rights and to make sure that workers can make a wage that they can live on," said Wendi Walsh, the secretary treasurer for UNITE HERE Local 355 and general vice president for the international union.
The union is calling for wages that would match the cost of living in South Florida, which has one of the nation's most expensive housing markets.
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An average Hyatt hotel room attendant earns about $16.75 an hour, according to the union. The workers have reported to the union that they struggle to pay bills, and some have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.
“We have offered competitive wages, health care and retirement benefits at the hotel,” wrote Michael D’Angelo, Hyatt's head of labor relations, in a statement via email to WLRN.
“All employees' wages and benefits remain unchanged as we negotiate a new agreement," he said. "We look forward to continuing to negotiate a fair contract and recognize the contributions of Hyatt employees.”
Affordable housing — both rental and homeownership — remains a major public policy challenge in Miami-Dade and throughout South Florida.
A 2022 study by the FIU Metropolitan Center found 62% of Miami-Dade renters are cost burdened — meaning they spend more than half their income on rent — and that “eviction filing rates have now exceeded pre-pandemic numbers.”
Another study published in January by the national real estate firm Redfin listed the Miami metro area as the second most unaffordable for renters, ahead of New York, Los Angeles and Boston. Only Providence, Rhode Island, ranked higher than Miami.
