Mayor Lets Eulen Stay at MIA After Firm Agrees to Better Conditions, Signs Union Deal

Mar. 12—Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said Thursday that aviation contractor Eulen America can remain at Miami International Airport after the company agreed to workplace upgrades, the rehiring of employees, and signed a long-sought agreement with a labor union.

Eulen had resisted allowing its workforce to organize, but on Feb. 23 signed a deal with Service Employees International Union to begin the unionization process in Miami and other airports where it operates. The company has been cited at MIA for poor working conditions and was a target for elected leaders and labor groups claiming mistreatment of workers.

The company provides ramp, cargo, cleaning and baggage-handling services to Delta and American Airlines, MIA's largest carrier.

On Feb. 11, three months into her term as mayor, Levine Cava announced she would cancel Eulen's contract once it expired this summer. On Thursday, she announced a reversal of that decision after Eulen agreed to changes.

The company agreed to establish a committee of management and union-selected members to oversee health and safety, and to pay for an independent expert to recommend improvements for workers. The agreement also requires that Eulen rehire all laid off workers. Eulen said earlier this year it had cut its workforce by 50% during the pandemic.

In a Thursday memo to commissioners, Levine Cava wrote "it's imperative that Miami International Airport — our leading economic engine — continues to reflect the values of our community, and this plan... will ensure that Eulen continues to meet this standard."

The mayor also released a March 5 letter from Eulen CEO Xavi Rabell that thanked her for a "very positive conversation." Rabell sent the letter along with three signed union documents he said Levine Cava requested, including Eulen's settlement agreement with SEIU, a politically active labor organization that supported Levine Cava during the 2020 mayoral campaign.

Rachel Johnson, communications director for Levine Cava, said the labor agreement had no bearing on Levine Cava's decision and wasn't a demand.

"She would have let Eulen come back without this labor agreement," she said.

In a statement, SEIU's Florida director Helene O'Brien said Eulen agreeing to put workers on a safety committee "will absolutely raise the bar for other contractors at the airport...Workers are the ones that know their worksites best as well as the health and safety issues. "

Miami Herald news partner CBS4 first reported the unsafe working conditions for Eulen workers in April 2019, including broken equipment and entire shifts outdoors without water breaks.

After the CBS4 story, workers said Eulen cleaned out cockroach-infested supply trucks and added a truck with Gatorade to the tarmac. Still, the workers said problems persisted and the company did not provide any paid sick or vacation days.

Commissioner Eileen Higgins, a top critic of Eulen, described the company's concessions as a local defeat that went national.

"Eulen has finally been brought to its knees, not just at MIA, but all around the country," she wrote in a Twitter post. "Here's to a safe, respectful working environment!"

In a statement, Rabell said: "We care deeply about our workforce and we are firmly committed to providing them with a work environment that meets or exceeds national standards."

Miami Herald staff writer Taylor Dolven contributed to this report.

___

(c)2021 Miami Herald

Visit Miami Herald at www.miamiherald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.