'Tis The Season To Protest At Ft. Laud./Hollywood Int'l Airport
DANIA BEACH (CBSMiami) – 'Tis the season to protest at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport in Dania Beach.
Flight attendants from Spirit Airlines are using one of the busiest travel weeks of the year to tell every passenger they see that they want more and are demanding the airline approve their contract.
"Management continues to rake in profits quarter after quarter and they refuse to meet and negotiate with the flight attendants," said Todd St. Pierre, a flight attendant and union spokesman.
Flight attendants say a strike is looming And they say that could impact you this holiday season.
"(Passengers) could be stuck anywhere across the country not knowing if they could get home to their family," said St. Pierre.
On the other side of the airport, general service employees protested with music. Sky caps, passenger aides and cleaning personnel all say they need more money.
"We don't get paid enough, we don't get enough hours," complained Edson Jocelin, who assists passengers in wheelchairs.
They are demanding that Broward County require the airlines and all subcontractors to abide by the County's living wage ordinance. Union Director Eric Brakken told CBS4's Natalia Zea, "We're raising awareness for people to know that many of the workers who are making their travel season safe and secure are working for minimum wage and sometimes even less."
Broward County Administrator, Bertha Henry told Zea the general service employee union has not made any formal requests to her at this point.
As for the Spirit Airlines protest, Spirit released the following statement, "Our flight attendants do a great job every day for the company and our customers. We are committed to reaching a fair agreement that rewards our flight attendants for their contribution and supports the company's growth."
We'll have to see whether they resolve it before this holiday travel season gets messy.
