A Safer America

As front-line security officers, we understand how dangerous the world can be. Today Americans are highly concerned about their personal safety--and rightly so. Our worries concerning safety cross the spectrum--from minor accidents, to petty theft, to violent crime, to major emergencies or even terrorism.

We have a responsibility to make the public feel--and be--safe. That's why we're speaking out for higher standards in the security industry, fighting for better working conditions so we can reduce turnover and keep experienced officers on the job. We're also standing up for adequate staffing levels, proper equipment, and rigorous training--so that we can do our jobs to the best of our ability and respond to--and prevent--emergency situations.

Good Jobs for Our Communities

The decline of our nation's manufacturing sector has devastated America's neighborhoods. The loss of well-paying--mostly union--jobs has lead to decay in our communities--shuttered stores, littered streets, and broken-down houses.

Our economy has replaced good manufacturing jobs with poor service-sector jobs, including jobs in the private security industry that pay poverty wages and offer few, if any, benefits. Many security officers have to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet.

As one of the fastest growing occupations in the U.S., the security industry is expected to add more than 152,500 jobs by 2018. These jobs must be improved if we expect our economy to improve.

Security officers are standing up for jobs that will allow us to work hard for decent housing, quality healthcare, adequate nutrition, access to education, and a dignified retirement. Good jobs will enable us to not only sustain our families, but also to spend time with our children and raise them according to our values. Good jobs will also help us sustain our communities by leaving us with more time to volunteer and more money to spend in local businesses and to pay taxes to support local hospitals, schools, police and fire departments.

America needs good jobs.

Economic Fairness

Americans believe in fairness. That's why so many of us are so angered by recent developments in our economy--a growing divide between the rich and the poor, a drastic weakening of the middle class, and huge bailouts of failed mega-banks--and their incompetent billionaire CEOs--while hardworking Americans struggle just to make ends meet.

Workers provide profits to our employers and we should be able to keep more of our profits in order to meet our basic needs. In the security industry, the wealthy building owners who ultimately determine our working conditions have state-of-the-art healthcare, while the officers who guard their buildings can't afford a simple visit to the doctor. While we protect multimillion dollar properties every day, many of us go home at night to our nation's poorest neighborhoods.

According to IBISWorld, in 2009 the U.S. spent $29 billion on private security services, more than three-quarters of which was spent on "manned security." Securitas, the largest private security employer in the United States, took in $8.2 billion in revenue in 2009--clearing $278million in profits.

Yet most of us our not sharing in the success of our industry. For the sake of our families, our communities, and fundamental fairness, we should be able to keep more of the profits we provide.

Corporate Responsibility

Corporations--including those in the security industry--are growing larger and more powerful every day. As employees and as citizens, we must work together with elected officials and community leaders to hold these corporations accountable to our local communities.

Corporations have an enormous impact on our communities and should act in accordance with the values of our communities. In the workplace, corporations should offer excellent service, treat employees humanely, and practice fairness in hiring and promotion. Beyond the workplace corporations should play a positive role--socially and ecologically--in the community.

As security officers we take our obligation to serve and protect seriously. While we believe in the good intentions of others, we are constantly vigilant of the health, strength, and safety of our communities.