Security officers from across California and the U.S. join in on demonstrations to raise standards industry-wide

SAN FRANCISCO-Security officers that work for some of the nation's largest security companies including Securitas, ABM and Universal Protection Services are going on strike in San Francisco today to protest their employers' use of intimidation, harassment, and other unlawful practices. The strike-the first strike among private security officers in the history of the city-is in response to the companies' violation of 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 health care, 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 percent.

"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 of the 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 health care. Janitors, window cleaners, parking attendants and building operating engineers in the same buildings earn decent wages and full family health care, 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."

Local, National Support for Striking Security Officers

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 also joining Bay Area security officers in their efforts 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.

Stand for Security: A New Movement for 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. 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.

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

Additional Media Contact: Gina Bowers (310) 291-5711 cell

SEIU is the nation's largest security officers' union representing more than 55,000 security officers nationwide including more than 10,000 security officers across California. More than 4,000 private security officers throughout San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties have been working with an expired contract for nearly three months. The first-ever, city-wide master contract expired June 30, 2007.

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