Attributable to Broward County Commissioner Kristen Jacobs: “What a great day when all nine of my colleagues come together to support the workers at our airport. The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport is a world-class facility with great companies doing right by their workers. Unfortunately, some companies still don’t get it. Today, the Broward County Commission stood together to ensure all workers are treated with dignity. To me, this is more than an economic issue, it is a moral issue.”
Fort Lauderdale, FL — The entire Broward County Commission today sponsored and voted to allow the County Attorney to draft resolution language to improve airline and contractor standards at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and help prevent service disruptions. Low labor standards and high employee turnover have the potential to undermine the quality of services at the airport and the overall customer experience. Several unfair labor practice charges are pending against airline contractors at the airport.
“This resolution strengthens the Commission’s ability to hold contractors accountable and ensures more responsible use of public resources and facilities,” said Helene O’Brien, 32BJ SEIU’s Florida District Director. “It improves standards at the airport by helping to avoid service disruptions and will help improve the overall experience of passengers travelling through FLL.”
The policy is part of an effort to help FLL become a world-class airport by encouraging companies to maintain high quality services the public deserves. Improving standards for our passenger service workers will also help protect the airport’s economic interests.
On June 3rd, the Commission is expected to vote on resolution language to present at a public hearing. The resolution will be part of a set of policies to improve industry and job standards, while ensuring that Broward’s neighborhoods and economy benefit from wealth generated at FLL.
The Airport, which is owned by Broward County, is one of the most important economic engines in South Florida. However, airlines are using low-bid contractors who routinely cut costs on the backs of employees to increase profits at the top. According to a recent study, low-bid contracting creates a race to the bottom that keeps workers in poverty, compromises the quality of service provided to passengers, and deprives communities of badly needed economic activity.
With more than 145,000 members in 11 states, 32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers union in the country.
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