Things To Do In SW Florida

Employees of an I-Drive restaurant staged a protest this week criticizing “unfair wages” by their Chicago-based owner.

About 25 workers at The Hampton Social stood outside the restaurant located in The Pointe shopping mall Thursday with signs showcasing their displeasure with a new pay structure — one they said likely would reduce what servers, bartenders and other “front of house” workers make.

The restaurant told employees Monday that it had adopted a new pay structure based on a federal labor law that makes certain employees exempt from overtime.

The change would drop hourly pay and require a sharing of tips, but The Hampton Social workers said they fear it will mean they take home less money while the company, Parker Hospitality, makes more.

Employee Karen Campos said many staff members will have their set pay drop $7 an hour or more.

“As of today, we’re going from regular paid employees that make $9.98, with some of us at higher wages based on merit or higher positions, and we’re all going to be making about $2 an hour,” she said. read more

By STAN CHOE

Job hopping is one of the best ways workers have to increase their pay, and a surprisingly solid job market means they still have opportunities. That’s great news for workers, but remember: Make sure you’re setting aside as much into your new 401(k) plan as your old one.

When a worker moves to a new job, they have to take the extra step of signing up for their new employer’s 401(k) plan and deciding how much of their paycheck to contribute. Otherwise, if they’re lucky, they’ll end up getting automatically enrolled into the plan and contributing whatever the employer decided as the default percentage of pay.

At nearly half of the 401(k) plans with automatic enrollment that Vanguard keeps records for, that default is 3% or 4%.

For first-time workers just starting their careers, that kind of contribution might make some sense, even if the rule of thumb is to save 10% to 15% of your pay. Many 401(k) plans will also automatically increase that savings percentage by 1 percentage point per year. read more

By Dewayne Bevil, The Dallas Morning News (TNS)

American Airlines is looking to revamp its boarding process with some new technology that will flag people who board with the wrong group.

The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline is in an early phase of testing at Albuquerque International Sunport and Tucson International Airport. Soon, the airline said, it will expand to other locations including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. According to The Washington Post, the system will give an “audible signal” when a passenger boards with the wrong group and alert the gate agent.

“The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease and helps improve the boarding experience by providing greater visibility into boarding progress for our team,” said Andrea Koos, spokeswoman for American.

The airline has been “pleased with the test results so far.”

By Sara Rathner, NerdWallet

A nearly $90 million ruling this week against Apple and Goldman Sachs — who together brought the Apple Card to market in 2019 — is the latest chapter in a dramatic breakup reportedly brewing between the two companies.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has ordered the tech giant and the bank to pay more than $89 million combined in penalties after it determined that customer service issues surrounding their co-branded credit card led to consumer harm.

The Apple Card was a big bet for both Apple and Goldman Sachs, neither of which had a significant imprint in the consumer credit card market. The relationship between the two companies has been tumultuous at times, and indeed some of the CFPB’s findings seem indicative of that tumult and lack of experience.

In 2023, Apple reportedly proposed exiting their contract in the next 12 to 15 months, and while the company hasn’t yet found a new issuer to take Goldman Sachs’ place, it has reportedly met with potential replacements. read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS

NEW YORK (AP) — Spirit Airlines is cutting jobs and selling off some jets worth millions of dollars as the budget carrier aims to cut costs amid looming financial struggles and an uncertain future.

In a Thursday regulatory filing, Spirit said it has identified about $80 million of cost-cutting measures set to begin early next year. Those cuts will be driven primarily by a “reduction in workforce,” the airline noted.

South Florida-based Spirit is the second-busiest carrier at Orlando International Airport.

Spirit did not specify a number for the layoffs or what positions would be impacted. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment further when reached by The Associated Press Friday.

The budget airline also disclosed that it’s agreed to sell 23 airplanes to GA Telesis, an aviation services company, for about $519 million. The Airbus A320ceo and A321ceo models, which were manufactured between 2014 and 2019, are expected to be delivered starting this month and through February. read more