Travelers flying through Miami International Airport's Concourse D have likely seen or interacted with workers for Areas USA — whether at one of multiple restaurants including Wendy's and Earl of Sandwich, or at retail stores like Books & Books.
Now, during a crucial travel season amid the FIFA World Cup, those workers are preparing to strike over what they say is an unwillingness by their employer to pay a livable wage.
Approximately 130 MIA concession and retail workers voted last week to authorize a strike, meaning at any time those employees could walk out and refuse to staff ten separate restaurants and stores at the airport.
Jaqueline Rodriguez, a mother of three from Nicaragua who works at the Wendy's at MIA, helped to unionize her colleagues several years ago under UNITE HERE, a national labor union that represents hospitality workers.
MIA employees of Areas USA and other food service companies are unionized under UNITE HERE's local 355 chapter.
Rodriguez told WLRN her group has been negotiating with their employer for more than six months to get an increase in wages. She said workers asked for a raise of $3.75 on their hourly wage to help survive in Miami with rising housing costs. So far, Areas has only offered an increase half that size.
"The majority of my coworkers have to work two jobs to survive in Miami," Rodriguez said in Spanish. "Many of us are women, single mothers with up to five kids, and we're fighting for the right to a respectable salary for what we do like anyone else in this country."
A spokesperson for Areas USA said the company is negotiating with its employees in good faith.
"Areas is prepared to continue operating its concessions at MIA and serving travelers should the union choose to proceed with a strike. We value our team members and remain committed to reaching a fair and constructive agreement that supports the interests of all parties involved," the spokesperson said.
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Areas USA, according to its own website, is the largest privately-held hospitality company in the U.S. It operates 400 restaurants and stores in 27 airports nationwide, and also operates rest plazas along Florida's Turnpike. MIA is one of the busiest airports in the country, according to federal transportation data.
"I make $18.35 an hour. It’s not enough. My rent in Kendall went from $2,100 to $2,400."Alexander Abreu, an Areas USA employee and cook at MIA
Areas' employees at MIA said they were emboldened to ask for wage increases after their colleagues who work for HMS Host, another hospitality vendor that staffs restaurants at Miami's airport, received similar benefits with support from their employer.
According to UNITE HERE, 350 HMS Host workers secured wage increases reaching $25 per hour by the end of their labor contract. They also negotiated successfully for free, employer-sponsored healthcare, funds for worker training, and — for the first time — employer-funded pensions.
"I make $18.35 an hour. It’s not enough. My rent in Kendall went from $2,100 to $2,400," said Alexander Abreu, an Areas USA employee and cook at Heron Corona Beach House in MIA. "We see all the changes happening at the airport around the World Cup, they have a new paint job, and making it look nice, but we also need to be treated with the same respect.”
According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Living Wage Calculator, a livable wage in Miami for a one-parent household with three children is about $65 per hour. Poverty wage for that same household is about $16 per hour.
The HMS Host contract set a baseline for airport hospitality staff that Areas workers say their employer won't match.
"HMS Host workers have fundamentally raised the standard for hospitality jobs in Miami. Now, food service and concession workers at Areas are ready to take action for that same standard. As we welcome the World Cup, it is time for every employer at MIA to step up and ensure their workers can actually afford to live in the city they serve,” said Wendi Walsh, Secretary-Treasurer of UNITE HERE Local 355.
This comes at a particularly precarious time for airports, as one of the biggest sporting events in the world is taking place right in MIA's backyard.
FIFA has touted that this year's World Cup has broken attendance records, reaching more than 3.5 million attendees. Despite net hotel bookings falling below expectations, Miami has still welcomed millions of travelers during the tournament.
