Billionaires for Bush demonstrate on behalf of Fisher Island residents while SEIU volunteers picket for workers near the Fisher Island Ferry terminal. Photo by Keisha Rae Witherspoon

Monday morning commuters along the MacArthur Causeway were confronted by not one, but two protests outside of the Fisher Island Ferry terminal: one staged by a labor union protesting alleged mistreatment of workers on the luxurious island, and a counter-protest rally by a group of supposed “billionaires advocating for the rights and interests of people of absolutely fabulous wealth.”

SEIU staffers protest in front of the Fisher Island Ferry terminal. Photo by Keisha Rae Witherspoon

Needless to say, several hundred confused drivers on the causeway wondered what the hell was going on.

“We are fighting for justice,” bellowed one union member as others hoisted picket signs and chanted in unison. “We want fair treatment for Fisher Island workers!”

“We saw this from our limo and we had to take a stand,” said counter-protester Monet Oliver D’Place of Billionaires for Bush, a satirical street theater group that claims to support George W. Bush and the country’s super-rich elite. “We have to protect our minority rights as the nation’s wealthiest 1 percent. Fairness is so 1900, and workers’ rights reek of FDR and the New Deal; how quaint.”

The two protests formed yet another episode in an intensifying showdown between Fisher Island and the local chapter of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), one of the nation’s largest labor unions. SEIU is representing 19 current and former Fisher Island employees who filed an equal-opportunity class action complaint Oct. 18 against the various island entities that employ them.

The complaint alleges that workers are discriminated against on the Fisher Island Ferry, the only transport for people and vehicles to the wealthy island, which Forbes Magazine last month labeled the “most expensive ZIP code in the country.”

SEIU claims that workers are forced to sit apart from residents in an employee lounge that lacks functioning air conditioners.

The union also asserts that employees who board the ferry after it has been loaded with resident’s vehicles are unable to proceed to the lounge because their bags might scratch the vehicles. Those workers are forced to stand at the back of the boat, exposed to wind, rain and searing sun.

“I just finished working hard for you and I can’t even ride the ferry in comfort? That’s not right,” said Willy Floyd, an Island security guard who is a plaintiff in the complaint. “They try to keep us away. Ninety percent of the time, the residents’ cabin is empty anyway.”

“Those machines were made by man, and I was made by God,” said Lukelle Dorsaint, a dishwasher listed in the complaint who has worked on Fisher Island for 23 years. “This is discrimination against all of the workers — whether they’re Haitian, white or Spanish.”

On the other side of the issue, those representing Fisher Island residents believe the contention stems from SEIU’s failed efforts to organize Fisher Island workers.

“[SEIU] pops up once in a while with 20 or so people on the causeway making a lot of noise and absurd claims; there was only one actual worker with them during that protest,” said Mark James, president of the Fisher Island Community Association. “Most of our workers ignore them. Their strategy is to smear the people on the island.

“If we’re racist or discriminating against our employees with our ferry policies in any way, then you can say that about any hotel in Miami,” James added. “They all have employee entrances and elevators, as well as areas for employees to congregate and eat. Our employee and resident lounges are virtually the same.”

The allegations in the SEIU complaint actually are some of the less incendiary claims. A short documentary released by the union at www.onemiaminow.org interviews Fisher Island employees who maintain they have been cursed at and referred to as “peasants” during their employment.

“I’ve been called ‘boy’ so many times, and there was a night when I was working at a party and this older guy got aggressive and said, ‘Nigger, you’re going to get out of my way,’” said Floyd. “It doesn’t happen a lot, but you can tell how some of the older residents look at you. I grew up in northern Florida when black people couldn’t even walk across the [Florida] State University campus; I know it when I feel it.”

James believes most Fisher Island residents appreciate the workers, which is why some of them are upset over the current conflict.

“No one likes to be characterized in an awful way, especially when it isn’t true. Anytime I hear of a situation where an employee believes they’ve been mistreated, I become very concerned,” said James. “I don’t know of any such incident, and I certainly hope it never happened. That kind of behavior is against our rules and would not be ignored.”

Monday morning’s protest involving the Billionaires for Bush was quite a different tactic for the SEIU. The organization grabbed local headlines in early 2006 for organizing several demonstrations and a hunger strike with disgruntled custodial workers from the University of Miami before reaching a resolution. SEIU is also known for its efforts to unionize workers toiling for Continental, one of the largest condominium management firms in South Florida.

“The workers on Fisher Island have really been feeling dehumanized and treated like second-class citizens,” said Tanya Aquino, a spokesperson for SEIU. “This time around we’re trying different ways to make the public aware about just what is happening here.”

As a result of the complaint, the Miami-Dade Equal Opportunity Board will launch an investigation. Fisher Island is not worried; it’s the SEIU that has to prove itself, said James.

“SEIU just keeps releasing sleazy, inappropriate and potty-mouthed press releases; it’s very easy to pick on rich people,” he said. “Most of our employees are just ignoring them. If they believe they have the support of the work force, then we challenge and urge them to call for an election. We’ll see where they stand.”

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