SAN FRANCISCO – Security officers that work for some of the nation’s leading security companies including Securitas, ABM and Universal Protection Services are on strike to defend their rights – the first strike among private security officers in the history of San Francisco. These companies are violating security officers’ rights during an ongoing labor dispute over industry standards.
Private security officers that patrol and protect high-rise commercial office buildings are critical in maintaining the safety of tenants and the general public. While the multibillion dollar corporate real estate industry enjoys low vacancy rates, rising rental rates and record breaking profits, the private security officers experience low wages, no access to quality, affordable health care, no respect, inadequate training and lack of a professional career ladder.
“San Francisco’s real estate giants like Morgan Stanley have an historic opportunity right now during contract negotiations to address the low standards that are putting public safety at risk,” said Rev. Ricky Jenkins.
Low wages and lack of affordable healthcare, taken together, make security a dead-end job. The result is an unacceptably high turnover rate that prevents security officers from getting the experience and training they need. Industry experts place the turnover rate at up to 300%.
“With such high turnover, private security officers are not receiving adequate training to interact with the city’s fire, police, and emergency response teams to work together to provide quality public safety that San Francisco deserves,” said John Hanley, President SF Fire Fighters Union.
Bay Area security officers earn about $24,000 a year -- about $5 an hour less than janitors -- and have no affordable healthcare. Janitors, window cleaners, parking attendants and building operating engineers in the same buildings earn decent wages and full family healthcare, creating a double standard where only security officers are being left behind.
“For the first time, security officers are striking to defend our rights and make these companies stop breaking the law,” said Albert Carey, a Bay Area security officer. “We’re also standing up for what’s right. We’re standing up for good jobs, better training, we’re standing up for ourselves and for all those that will come after us. This is our time -- we’re going to make this thing right for all time.”
Janitors, window cleaners, parking attendants and other building service workers like sanitation workers and delivery drivers are honoring picket lines. The San Francisco Central Labor Council’s 150 affiliated unions granted strike sanctions last week.
Security officers that protect high-rise office buildings across California and the country are joining Bay Area security officers in an effort to raise standards throughout the industry. Security officers from Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Boston, Minneapolis and New York are joining Bay Area clergy, congregations, community organizations and students in a week of action, dubbed “Stand for Security: the Uprising” in conjunction with the unfair labor practice strike.
Just days ago, the Stand for Security Coalition of clergy, congregations, elected leaders and community organizations called on San Francisco’s real estate giants to “respect our community, respect security officers” in a full page ad in the San Francisco Business Times, a trade publication for the real estate community. Visit www.StopTheDoubleStandards.org to see the ad.
Nationally, there are more than 1 million private security officers – more than twice the number of police officers. Private security is one of the top-ten fastest growing industries and is dominated by African American workers. San Francisco security officers are leading the largest national movement of African American workers since A. Philip Randolph organized the Pullman Porters in the 1920s to help create the black middle class.
Nationwide, nearly 50,000 predominantly black private security officers will be bargaining contracts this year to win family health care and higher pay. Nationally, if these officers receive just a $1 increase in hourly wages, paid leave and family health care, almost a half billion dollars could be infused into some the nation’s most economically depressed neighborhoods, where most security officers live.
www.StopTheDoubleStandards.org