Security officers step up pressure in contract talks

Friday\’s negotiations between Service Employees International Union Local 26 and six area security firms did not result in a settlement; the next bargaining session is set for Saturday, Feb. 23.

"Our employers still have not addressed affordable healthcare, and we cannot wait any longer," said Billie Edmonds, a security officer at Ameriprise Financial Center and a member of the Local 26 bargaining team. "Every extra day without a contract is another day that I go further into debt if I have to take my son to the doctor, and nobody should have to face that."

Supporters of the security officers will hold a march for health care Thursday starting at 11:30 a.m. from Minneapolis City Hall through the skyway system. The event, organized by the Workers Interfaith Network, will "engage the broader business community in this campaign. They have the power to bring about a just resolution. And they have a stake in creating true security in the Twin Cities," WIN Director Matt Gladue said.

Next Saturday\’s bargaining session will be just the third time the two sides meet this month.

"We have been ready and willing to meet for months, and we remain committed to bargaining a new contract that addresses our commitment to affordable health care and better training standards for public safety," said Local 26 President Javier Morillo. "The security companies have not taken this seriously since the beginning, and it\’s time for them to stop stalling."

On Feb. 9, security officers voted overwhelmingly to authorize their bargaining committee to call a strike at any time over unfair labor practices, if necessary. Twin Cities security officers have been bargaining for months with their employers – security contractors ABM, Allied-Barton, American, Securitas, Viking, and Whelan – and they have been working without a contract since Jan. 1.

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