On MLK anniversary, security officers spread message of hope

The event on Wednesday, April 4, is part of a national day of action by security officers and their supporters on the 39th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Events in at least five cities – including Seattle, the San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles, and Boston – commemorate the civil rights leader\’s commitment to social and economic equality for all working people.

"Dr. King\’s dream is still out of reach for many of the men and women who protect multimillion dollar properties everyday," said Valarie Long, director of SEIU\’s Property Services Division. "In the spirit of this great champion of civil rights, security officers are standing up to fight the economic injustice many face at the hands of security corporations and property owners."

During Wednesday\’s event, more than 20 security officers are visiting officers who work for Hannon Security, the largest non-union security contractor in the Twin Cities.

"Hannon has positioned itself as an obstacle to improving standards in the local security industry," the union said. "As one of the largest security contractors in the area, Hannon is in a position to take a leading role in raising standards, but instead takes the low road by actively preventing its employees from improving their jobs and their profession by forming a union with SEIU."

As many as 1,500 security officers in the Twin Cities will be bargaining contracts – some for the first time ever – in the next year. They are represented by SEIU Local 26, the same union local that recently won contract gains for 4,200 Twin Cities janitors.

Nationwide, nearly 50,000 private security officers will be bargaining contracts this year to win family health care and higher pay.

"If security officers receive just a $1 increase in wages, paid leave and family health care, almost a half billion dollars could be infused into some the nation’s most economically depressed neighborhoods," SEIU said.

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