ORLANDO, Fla. — Claims of bullying, harassment, and even discrimination based on sex, gender identity, and gender expression are coming out of the Orlando International Airport.
- HMSHost workers at MCO launch union-organizing drive
- They said they have experienced discrimination, harassment
- Workers hope to join UNITEHERE!, who represents Disney employees
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This time, the complaints are not coming from TSA employees.
Nearly 800 restaurant workers at MCO are employed by a company called HMSHost. More than half of those employees have launched a union-organizing drive all because of several complaints made by employees.
Jay Kelly is a transgender man who works at different Starbucks locations in the airport. The Starbucks locations at MCO are licensed by a company called HMSHost. In 2018, Jay began his transition, but according to him, his management couldn’t.
“The management after a while started calling me by my 'dead name,'" Jay explained. "Or miss, she, and it was just horrible.”
Jay’s “dead name” is Jessica, which was the name he was born with. According to Jay, management went out of their way to stir the pot.
“It’s embarrassing, and it hurts. They keep putting my dead name on the schedule," Kelly said. "I keep telling them to please put Jay. It is not that hard to type in — J-A-Y.”
Jay along with two other HMSHost employees have filed complaints under the city of Orlando anti-discrimination ordinance.
The city would not confirm or deny the claims, but did respond in an email stating, “Federal confidentiality provisions prevent the city from specifically commenting on cases that may or may not have been filed with our Human Relations Department.”
More than half of all HMSHost employees at MCO hope to join UNITEHERE!, a Central Florida labor union that represents 25,000 workers at Disney.
Gabriel Ocasio previously worked at a Starbucks at MCO. He’s helping lead the union push, saying he was terminated for gender expression.
“When I decided to wear makeup, my customers loved it," Ocasio said. "My manager decided to make it his mission to pull me apart and say, ‘You can’t wear that. You have to remove that.’”
According to Ocasio, nowhere in his employee handbook did it say male workers could not wear makeup.
HMSHost declined Spectrum News 13's request for interview, sending the following statement over email:
“HMSHost prides itself on being a diverse company and we believe that it is one of the sources of our strength. We do not discriminate against any associate based on LGBTQ status or any other reason. We have worked for decades in Orlando airport in a harmonious environment that is reflected in a great reputation with the airport community and our associates. We have clear processes and documentation to support any terminations and we have a policy of openness and inclusion for everyone.”
Currently UNITEHERE! works with over 300,000 airport employees at 45 different airports. The hope for employees here is not just about the workplace environment, but also about better pay and health care.