Bay Area Security Officers Historic Strike For Health Care, Respect

Bargaining Continues After First-Ever Bay Area Strike

After a powerful three-day strike in San Francisco's Bay Area that brought attention to Security Officer's struggle for equal treatment, members of SEIU Local 24/7 returned to bargaining on Thursday. The security officers' historic strike was supported by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, the Teamsters, and even bicycle couriers! 24/7 officers will continue negotiations with security companies that include Securitas, ABM, and Universal protection Service.



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The Epoch Times Health Care at Stake for Bay Area Private Security Officers September 27, 2007 For Angelo Logan, a security guard at an office tower in San Francisco's Financial District, the last few days were filled with a struggle he had not experienced before. San Francisco's private security guards, for the first time ever, walked off their jobs and formed picket lines to stand up for fair wages and family healthcare. "We will be there, as long as it takes," said Logan, if negotiations do not ensure what security guards are asking for. Security guards from Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 24/7 have formed picket lines since Monday, Sept. 24, and rallied in the city's Financial District and in front of City Hall. The workers' union represents 6,000 security officers throughout the Bay Area. "It's about family healthcare," said Gina Bowers, spokesperson of SEIU. "Workers need some kind of healthcare they can afford; that has been the way other industries keep people interested in their jobs. If you have health care through your work, it's less likely for you to leave your job." Security officers are paid on average $24,000 a year, an insufficient amount for affordable healthcare insurance, says Bowers. SEIU has been in contract negotiations with three major security companies—Securitas, ABM, and Universal Protection Services, but the effort also includes negotiations with other security firms, according to a statement. Major Gavin Newsom has called on the commercial building owners to begin negotiations to address the issues which caused the strike. He urged "the commercial building owners, although not parties of the dispute, to assert a greater role in fostering a quick resolution between the security guards and security guard companies." Tim Paulson, Executive Director of the San Francisco Labor Council, joined the rally. He said to The Epoch Times that he believes security officers are among the lowest paid workers in town and deserve to have a contract comparable to other workers. "Nobody ever likes to go on strike," Paulson said. "But when the contractors are not willing to bring any offers to the table, workers will do what they always have to do with the only weapon they have, and that is to withdraw their labor."