Security Officers Win Rights to Organize
Agreement Reached Minutes Before ‘Fast for Freedom’
Our Weekly - November 22, 2006
By Cynthia E. Griffin
Minutes before African American civil rights leaders were set to begin a 24-hour “Fast for Freedom,” organizers for private security officers and representatives for the Building Owners and Managers Association of Greater Los Angeles (BOMA-GLA) reached an agreement that establishes the framework for more than 5,000 workers to vote on union representation.
The agreement, which caps a four-year campaign by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and community leaders from South Los Angeles will allow the security officers, about 70 percent of whom are African American, to vote on whether they want a union to represent them.
Up until this point, BOMA-GLA had rebuffed efforts to unionize the officers, citing concerns about both the janitors and security being represented by the same union—SEIU Local 1877.
There was also a proposal to exclude security officers working in buildings of 150,000 square feet or smaller.
Under the agreement hammered out, once the majority of officers have indicated a desire to form a union with SEIU, the companies will recognize the union as the official bargaining unit.
According to John Wilson, who is part of the union organizing unit, in answer to concerns about the janitors and security officers being in the same union, SEIU has formed a separate local for the officers—Security Officers United Los Angeles, Local 2006. They have also agreed not to honor strikes called by the janitors. The proposal about the exemption of smaller buildings was dropped.
As BOMA-GLA and SEIU were finalizing their agreement, the Los Angeles City Council Public Safety Committee approved three motions on Nov. 13 intended to improve security in high-rise buildings.
The approved motions require that buildings larger than 250,000 square feet have trained first responders on duty in a ration of one responder for every 500 building occupants; building owners must provide documentation to allow the city to verify that state mandate training for security officers has been given; and facilities taller than 35 stories must conduct total building evacuations every three years.
These motions have been forwarded to the full council with a request that an ordinance be drafted to make the change to the fire code to incorporate these changes. |
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Stand For Security Coalition Advisory Board Endorsees |
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Bishop Henry Williamson
Presiding Prelate, 9th Episcopal District, C.M.E. Church |
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Bishop John R. Bryant
Presiding Prelate, 5th Episcopal District A.M.E Church |
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Minister Tony Muhammed
Western Region Representative, Nation Of Islam |
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Rev. James Lawson, Jr.
President of the Board SCLC |
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Bishop Gabino Zavala
Roman Catholic Archdiocese |
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Bishop Mary Anne Swenson
United Methodist Church |
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Rabbi Alan Henkin
Union of Reform Judaism |
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Rabbi Leonard Beerman
Founding Rabbi Leo Baeck Temple |
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Rev. Eric Lee
CEO of the SCLC-Los Angeless
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Marqeece Harris Dawson
Community Coalition, Executive Director |
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Anthony Thigpen
Agenda, Founder |
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Geraldine Washington
NAACP, President, Los Angeles |
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Dr. Maulana Karenga
Organization US, Chairman |
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Rev. Dr. Cecil “Chip” Murray
Pastor (retired), Community Leader |
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Rev Lewis Logan II
Stand for Security Campaign Organizer
Clergy & Laity United for Economic Justice |
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Rev. William Campbell
President Los Angeles Council of Churches |
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