Contracts without Justice: The MIA Case and Eileen Higgins’ Double Talk 2025. What the documents show and Higgins’ inaction.

At Miami International Airport (MIA), tens of thousands of workers are in charge of keeping one of the busiest terminals in the hemisphere operational on a daily basis. They clean, they load, they guard, they attend, and yet for years they have been employees not of the county, but of subcontracted companies. Companies that sign multi-million dollar contracts with local government – contracts that, in Miami-Dade, do not always include fair labor conditions beyond the legal minimum.

In this context, the figure of Eileen Higgins, former commissioner (2018-2025) and current candidate for mayor of Miami, becomes a symbol of an increasingly questioned policy:

Double Talk at the MIA: When Politics Takes the Picture, But Doesn’t Sign the Contract. The double talk of empathy without action.

At bustling Miami International Airport (MIA), one of the busiest airline hubs in the United States, thousands of workers – from cleaners to baggage handlers – face precarious working conditions on a daily basis. Wages that barely cover the basics, lack of stable benefits and demanding work environments are recurring complaints.

In this context, a political figure emerges as its advocate: Eileen Higgins, former Miami-Dade County Commissioner (2018-2025) and current candidate for Miami mayor in the 2025 election.

Higgins has marched alongside unions and received key endorsements, but an analysis of his record reveals a contradiction:

Public actions of empathy that contrast with omissions in its legislative power to impose real improvements in airport contracts.

This editorial examines this “double-speak,” backed by public documents and comparisons with other airports, to question whether the policy boils down to campaign photos or structural changes.

When he had the power

Higgins served as a commissioner during a key period. From that seat, he voted and approved large contracts with companies such as Eulen America, ABM Aviation, Triangle Services and others. These contracts, reviewed by this newsroom through official Miami-Dade portals, comply only with the Living Wage Ordinance: $15.50 per hour with minimum benefits, or $20.50 without.

But that’s all.

No paid sick days.
No stability clauses.
No training or paid leave requirements.
No automatic penalties for labor violations.

And in some cases -such as Eulen- the Ordinance does not even apply to them, due to judicial exemptions that no one tried to reverse politically.

When he lost power

In September 2025, already campaigning as a candidate, Higgins appeared at labor rallies at the MIA, accompanied by unions such as SEIU 32BJ. Surrounded by banners, she declared to fight for “economic justice” for airport workers. She received multiple union endorsements in November.

The contrast is striking. During her administration, she did not demand additional clauses for workers. But now, with no vote or signature on contracts, she presents herself as their unconditional ally.

What the documents show. Contractual Evidence (Updated as of November 2025)

The contracts in place at MIA-according to county procurement portals and public reports-are clear:

Resolution approving award of County Attorney Contract No. EVN0000201 to C&W Facility Services, Inc. for Janitorial Services for miamiDade Aviation Department (Area A) in a total amount not to exceed $261,381,966.00 for a five-year term for the MiamiDade Aviation Department; and authorizing the County Mayor to execute the agreement and exercise all provisions of the contract, including any cancellations or extensions, pursuant to section 2-8.1 of the Code and Implementing Order 3- 38

Request for Approval of a Non-Competitive Designated Purchase for Amendments to Janitorial Services Contracts for the Miami-Dade Aviation Department

Based on Miami-Dade County resolutions and public reports, current MIA contracts comply with the Living Wage Ordinance (applicable to covered services >$100,000, requiring ~$15.50/hour with benefits or ~$20.50 without in 2025), but lack riders for labor improvements. No mention of paid days, mandatory training or stability when changing contractors. Judicial exemptions apply to aeronautical services.

Below is a table with key examples, including company origins and verifiable benefits(limited to the legal minimum, with no extras detailed in documents):

These contracts, awarded by the current commission, reflect similar patterns of omission as Higgins: minimal compliance, no pressure for fair environments.

Agreement CONTRACT wopr-01150

Agreement CONTRACT wopr-00919

Contrast with Other U.S. Airports.

While the MIA is limited to the living wage with exemptions, other airports demonstrate that local authorities can condition contracts for higher benefits.

Here is a contrast:

In these cases, the commissions used their power to demand more, resulting in verified positive impacts.

Critical Analysis: Are workers’ rights really protected?

contract WOPR-00919, entitled “Janitorial Services for Miami International Airport, Terminals (D & E), Zone 1”, there are no clear or firm provisions for additional benefits for the contractor’s employees beyond what is strictly required by law. Here is a critical analysis with direct references to the document:

Critical Analysis: Are employees protected in this contract?

No additional benefits

• There are no clauses guaranteeing benefits beyond the living wage required by county ordinance.
• The contract does not mention paid vacation, sick days, supplemental medical insurance or professional development plans for employees.
• Article 6 (pp. 7-8) refers to payment to the contractor, not to the cleaning personnel. It only requires the contractor to comply with the payment requirements of the law.

Limited liability to personnel

• The contract states in Article 6.04 (p. 8) that the county will not be responsible for payments to staff: it is all up to the contractor. There is no audit of employee compliance.
• Article 8 (p. 9) mentions that the contractor must submit personnel policy manuals, but does not require compliance with additional labor welfare standards.

Labor control without worker protection

• In Article 8.02-8.03 (p. 10), the county reserves the right to veto employees for safety, without the contract requiring compensation or alternative employment opportunity.
• This places the worker in a situation of vulnerability without protection against arbitrary decisions.

Subcontractors

• Article 8.06 (p. 11) clarifies that the contractor may use subcontractors, but without creating a direct relationship with the county. This precludes third party workers from claiming any employment rights or improvements from the county.

In summary:

This contract shows a focus on minimum compliance, without establishing substantive job improvements as a contractual condition. Although the county commission could have included clauses to protect employees, it opted for a model without additional commitments.

Specific references:

Although the document mentions key labor concepts such as “health”, “employees”, “training” and “vacations”, it does not develop them or turn them into enforceable or guaranteed contractual clauses. These are peripheral references with no legal or union weight.

This confirms that, as has occurred in many other MIA contracts:

It complies with the legal minimum (such as the Living Wage Ordinance), but does not protect or promote the integral welfare of workers.

What other airports do

In San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK/LGA) and Seattle (SEA-TAC), local authorities have imposed additional conditions on airport contracts:

• Wages above minimum wage
• Compulsory compensated hours
• Employee retention clauses
• Audits for actual compliance

The result: greater stability, lower turnover, and better conditions for tens of thousands of outsourced employees.

“When Contractual Silence Says the Most: The Reality of Workers in MIA”.

In times when the political narrative is flooded with phrases such as “economic justice” or “labor dignity,” official documents often tell a very different story. Such is the case of the contracts signed by Miami-Dade County with companies that operate essential services at Miami International Airport (MIA), such as contract WOPR-00919, for cleaning services in terminals D and E.

At first glance, it looks like just another technical contract: payment clauses, schedules, protocols. But on closer inspection, what it doesn’t say is even more revealing. There is not a single line guaranteeing paid vacation, sick days, mandatory training or job stability for workers. The only job benefits that appear are those strictly mandated by the County’s Living Wage Ordinance, which sets minimum pay with or without health benefits. Nothing more.

This is outrageous considering that, unlike MIA, airports such as San Francisco (SFO) or Los Angeles (LAX) have incorporated binding clauses in their contracts that obligate contractors to offer higher wages, job training, employee retention and fringe benefits. At LAX, for example, the contractual minimum wage for concession companies already exceeds $22.50/hour plus $8.35 in benefits, and is expected to reach $30/hour by the 2028 Olympics.

In Miami, on the other hand, the commissioners seem more concerned about not inconveniencing the companies. And this is where the double-speak of many officials comes in: they appear smiling in photos during workers’ marches, proudly receive union endorsements, and even call themselves “champions of the people” on the campaign trail. But when they really have the opportunity to support those same workers -negotiatingfair conditions in black and white, within the contract-they opt for silence.

Cases like that of former commissioner and current mayoral candidate Eileen Higgins, who has been endorsed by organizations like UNITE HERE Local 355, exemplify this paradox. During her tenure, she failed to push for substantive contract provisions that would raise standards for subcontracted employees at MIA. However, she now reappears at rallies with workers, as if the collective memory could not contrast her photo with her signature.

Meanwhile, thousands of employees -many immigrants and heads of households- continue to work for contractors who operate without strict supervision, without real protection, and without any moral commitment from the political power.

How much longer will we continue to allow labor justice to be disguised with banners and denied in contracts? Because at the end of the day, we do not govern with speeches or photos on social networks. You govern with decisions. And official documents are the true mirror of power.

The Inevitable Conclusion. Endorsements, Photos and False Promises: The Two-Faced Politicians at the Miami Airport.

The images don’t lie: they show UNITE HERE Local 355 supporting Eileen Higgins, Raquel Regalado, Keon Hardemon and Oliver Gilbert – all Miami-Dade County Commissioners – with signs, hugs and public speeches. Also present is Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who appears actively supporting this organization and its causes. But what you don’t see in these photos is more revealing: the contracts.

Because while the microphones proclaim support for the workers, the signed documents tell another story.

Throughout 2025 and prior years, contracts awarded to companies operating at Miami International Airport (MIA) – one of the county’s most powerful economic centers – do not include clauses guaranteeing fair labor conditions beyond the legal minimum wage. There is no guarantee of paydays, stability, or protections if the contractor changes. Foreign companies such as ABM Aviation, C&W Services or Eulen America, which handle essential services, continue to operate without real contractual demands for labor justice.

And this is not for lack of political power.

UNITE HERE, backed by thousands of hospitality and janitorial workers, has its “allies” within the government: Higgins, Regalado, Hardemon, Gilbert, and the explicit support of Levine Cava. With such a majority on the County Commission, how is it possible that a firm line will not be imposed to demand fair conditions in their contracts from these companies?

The answer is clear: support for workers has become a media spectacle. An electoral resource. A façade of empathy. But not a priority when it comes to sitting down in front of a contract, reading its clauses, and saying, “this is not enough for our people.”

The pressure that these commissioners should exert on behalf of the workers is diluted among business interests, uncontrolled bids and personal agendas. And then, when elections come around, they reappear in union demonstrations, holding hands with those they did not defend when they had the power to do so, manipulating the vote of workers who continue to be underpaid and underprotected.

Where is the real backing? On paper. In the contract. In the signature. Not in the photo.

Miami-Dade needs representatives who will stop the political hypocrisy. Who do not endorse with one hand and sign unfair contracts with the other. That they understand that the defense of the worker is not shouted: it is written, legislated and signed.

The community is no longer informed through traditional channels, bought or silenced by the power behind the power. Today, social networks – Instagram, TikTok, X, WhatsApp – are the mirror in which these politicians are beginning to reflect their true face. And people are watching.

The difference is not legal. It is political.

Eileen Higgins had the opportunity to write fair terms into contracts when she had power. She did not. Today, without formal power, she stands as an ally of the causes she did not champion on paper.

“This airport belongs to the people of Miami-Dade,” he said in an interview.
But the contracts that govern it don’t speak for the people. They speak for companies, bids, and legislative silences.

Eileen Higgins’ case is not one of lack of power, but of political omission. As a commissioner until November 2025, she did not use her vote to impose conditions that would protect MIA workers beyond the minimum. Today, on the campaign trail, she appears at rallies as an ally, but what she did not accomplish with her signature, she disguises with her presence. That is not coherence; it is campaigning. Contracts without real justice perpetuate inequality, and Miami deserves leaders who act, not just pose.

Closing

The case of MIA and Eileen Higgins is no exception. It is a mirror.
A reflection of how in modern politics, the image is worth more than the action, and the banner more than the clause.

Because when workers raise their voices, everyone wants to be in the picture.
But when the contract is written, few stay at the table.

🖇 Sources:

• miamidade.gov
• miami-airport.com
• SEIU 32BJ Instagram
• Florida Politics
• Labor Center – UC Berkeley

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