Dozens of LSG Sky Chefs union workers who prepare in-flight food and catering for airlines serving Miami International Airport held a protest on Wednesday, trying to rally public support for a wage boost to at least $20 an hour.
The demonstration came as the Miami metropolitan area continues to have the highest cost of living increase among big cities in the United States. Inflation in the Miami area spiked to 7.8% for the 12-month period ending in August, according to the latest Consumer Price Index report by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That was more than twice the latest national CPI of 3.7%.
The group of workers assembled outside Sky Chefs warehouses a few miles from Miami airport.
The union’s negotiations for a new contract with the company have floundered. About 900 of the Miami food workers have been working without a contract since the last one expired in 2016. A mediator has been involved in bargaining between Unite Here Local 355, which represents the workers and many others in the hospitality industry in South Florida, and Sky Chefs’ management. The union organized the protest.
Dozens of women wore red shirts emblazoned with the slogan “One job should be enough.” Chants, many in Spanish, said, “We want 20,” meaning $20 an hour. Right now many are paid less than $16 an hour.
Food preparer Maria Sanchez, 61, a Cuba native, was one of about 100 workers demonstrating. She said her rent increased this year from $1,800 to $2,700 a month.
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