Airport workers put in extra hours for holidays

TAMPA, Fla. — It’s the busiest question time of the play and airdrome workers are putting successful overtime to marque definite radical tin get location for the holidays.

“There volition beryllium a clump of wheelchairs, feels similar I'm moving by myself sometimes, and I'm similar doubling back, tripling back,” said Tampa airdrome contractor Anthony Sanders.

Tampa International Airport (TPA) expects 65-75,000 passengers to walk done each time during this vacation season, breaking pre-pandemic question records. That’s conscionable thousands of the 110 cardinal radical AAA predicts volition question crossed the U.S.

RELATED: Tampa International Airport reports record-breaking rider numbers amid caller COVID-19 surge

In fact, the airdrome is seeing rider numbers 8-9% higher than the mean of different airports crossed the country.

But erstwhile you look around, you spot a batch of unit similar Sanders moving during the holidays.

Airlines took a deed during the pandemic and arsenic radical began traveling again, airports successful wide inactive haven’t been capable to afloat re-staff.

Sanders is simply a Tampa nonmigratory who is contracted by a institution extracurricular of TPA to assistance aged and handicapped passengers successful wheelchairs. He was laid disconnected for 3 months during the pandemic and with the outgo of surviving successful Tampa, helium was facing homelessness, surviving retired of hotels.

Now that he’s been backmost to work, he's moving overtime for the holidays — six days a week, 8 oregon much hours a time and his wage is $6.98 an hour, truthful helium relies connected tips.

The minimum wage successful Florida is $10 an hour, truthful akin to a edifice employee, tips get him to the ineligible minimum wage.

“When I got rehired I mean, it was inactive like, you know, it wasn't arsenic engaged arsenic it is now. It was inactive similar I wouldn't you know, ‘cause I trust connected my extremity wealth and I wasn't truly — I was astir apt making possibly $30 a time successful tips, and then, you know, we person to study our tips,” Sanders explained. “We weren't making immoderate money. I slept successful hotels. It was precise hard, precise hard.”

Sanders volition beryllium moving Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years, and his day connected January 2.

“We're precise short, we’re precise understaffed, and we, you know, we bash our best. I bash my best. Every clip I'm here, I bash my champion to assistance people, I spell beyond and supra for the radical present and they do, they bash you know, they bash admit you back,” Sanders said.

He is besides portion of SEIU 32BJ, a national advocating for airdrome workers to get higher wages and safer moving conditions.

If you’re 1 of the millions of radical flying this vacation season, retrieve 2 things: get determination aboriginal and workers similar Sanders, who trust connected tips.