Hospitality industry workers without health insurance or unemployment benefits: ‘Black Lives Matter!'

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – About a dozen members of a labor union that represents hospitality industry employees were protesting outside of the Miami Beach City Hall on Monday.

The Unite Here Local 355 claims to represent thousands of people who work at hotels, airports and entertainment venues in South Florida.

Kandiz Lamb, the union’s vice president, said workers have lost their health insurance and are not receiving unemployment benefits.

“Something needs to change and our workers can’t breathe,” Lamb said.

Rolande Richardson, a union organizer, said the crowd included workers from the Fontainebleau Miami Beach.

Wendi Walsh, the union’s secretary and treasurer, recently told The Guardian, the union contract stipulates the hotels must continue healthcare coverage for the 1,077 union members.

“The Fontainebleau has taken a different path, going so far as to file a lawsuit to avoid taking care of their employees during a deadly outbreak of a virus,” Walsh said.

The hotel’s operator filed the lawsuit in June while refusing to pay $5.3 million in health care contributions to the workers who were laid off.