San Francisco - After a rally and march supported by the community, San Francisco security officers will all be able to return to work. The march, which drew support from the carpenters’ union Local 22, the mill workers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, among others, shows clear support from the greater Bay Area community for the security officers’ fight.

SEIU is pleased to announce that this morning, all workers will be able to return to their jobs without fear of repercussions for taking part in the unfair labor practices strike. This is a clear message to security contractors and building owners alike, who are continuing contract negotiations for the third day, that security officers and their community allies are unwilling to accept anything other than the complete respect and dignity that security officers deserve.

More than 4,000 San Francisco security officers have been working without a union contract for nearly three months. Despite protecting multi-billion dollar real estate properties throughout the Bay Area owned by economic powerhouses including investment banking giant Morgan Stanley, private security officers earn less than $24,000-fully $5 an hour less than janitors who provide services in the same facilities-and are not offered affordable health insurance. Although security officers are typically first responders to emergency situations in high-rise office buildings, low wages and lack of access to quality affordable health care are contributing to a turnover rate estimated by industry experts to be as high as 300%. Coupled with inadequate training standards cited by security officers, poor conditions in the private security industry mean a greater threat to public safety and building security.

For more information visit www.StopTheDoubleStandards.org.