Union members and others in South Florida will rally Monday, Labor Day, to denounce the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation strategy and tariff policies, and the negative impact of those policies on Miami International Airport workers.
“MIA is the core economic engine known as the gateway to Latin America, but this administration’s policies have turned travelers away from visiting South Florida,” the unions said in a joint statement.
“The downfall of tourism and reduction of travel through this Miami International Airport is hitting workers hard in South Florida, resulting in layoffs and a reduction of work hours and income,” they said.
Indeed, the number of passengers through MIA fell 1.4% during the first half of 2025, marking the first decline since 2017, excluding the pandemic year, the Miami Herald reported earlier this month.
The unions said the tariffs “are making everything cost more; grocery store prices and rent keeps going up, leaving workers that live paycheck to paycheck scraping to get by.”
The rally is set to begin at MIA’s Door 12 on the Departures level, beginning at 3:30 p.m.
Among the labor unions joining the rally: UNITE HERE Local 355, 32 BJ SEIU, 1199 SEIU, South Florida AFL-CIO. Other groups include Homestead-based WeCount!.
