What Does it Mean to Build Strength Together?

Hello fellow Security Officers. My name is Latasha Reed. I have been in the security division of the union for 14 years. I’m on the Bargaining Committee, on the Union Executive Board, and I’m also a Shop Steward.

While we had major wins with our recent contract, like earning the largest raise in contract history, we have a long way to go and need to organize, strengthen and stay united so that we can achieve so much more together. There was so much left on the bargaining table.

We are the ones who form the union, and unfortunately, if we don’t come together and stand up for ourselves, then no one will.

What does it mean to stand up? It means that an officer at every work site volunteers to be a shop steward to help enforce our contract. It means that when our contract expires, we all come out to contract actions and delegations to show that we are united, and it means attending zoom meetings and in-person meetings to stay up to date on workplace fights.

The janitors, who are a part of our union, have been unified for decades, and they just won the best contract ever ratified by a janitors union in the Country. They have top pay, fully-funded family healthcare, paid time off, and respect on the job. The reason is that when it was time to make things happen, they put up a good fight while standing shoulder to shoulder. The Janitors held huge actions in the streets to show that they stood together. They let their employers know they would not back down until they got what they wanted.

Imagine how powerful the security division would be if we all came together and stood up for what we believed in. We can do it! We need more officers to form a strong security division in the union. I believe in one band one sound, and if you believe in your future, get more involved.