Minnesota arts collective teams up with security officers, janitors
Feb 06, 2013 - SEIU Local 26 janitors and security officers, who are fighting for good jobs in the Twin Cities, teamed up with an arts collective to create a one-of-a-kind event in Minneapolis. Read more...
Minnesota Janitors and Security Officers Set Strike Vote, Say Corporate Elite Has Power to Unlock Better Future
Jan 25, 2013 - For janitors and security officers in Minneapolis, members of SEIU Local 126, a raise would help bring them above the poverty line. It would allow them to pay for basic necessities, including groceries, school, rent or mortgage. And they're prepared to fight for themselves, their fellow workers, and their families in order to achieve those things. Read more...
Minneapolis security officer Fred Anthony: "Everybody has a role to make things better"
Dec 22, 2012 - Fred Anthony is a security officer in Minneapolis. He and thousands of other officers and janitors in the Twin Cities are fighting to build good jobs as they negotiate a new contract for people who protect and clean the area's office buildings. Read more...
2,500 Philadelphia Security Officers Score a Victory -- For Black-Brown Cooperation
Dec 14, 2012 - This week more than 2,500 Philadelphia security officers ratified their first-ever citywide union contract. Read more...
Petition: Stand with workers at JFK
Dec 13, 2012 - Airport workers at JFK who work for Airserv and Global Elite Security are voting to authorize a strike. Sign the petition to support them. Read more...
Workers Are Not Done Yet
Dec 07, 2012 - Amy Walker, a food service worker from Pittsburgh, had never spoken to a member of Congress until she made a trip last week to Washington, D.C., to tell her state's representatives and senators that cutting vital programs could have an... Read more...
3,000 workers at 14 industrial laundry sites get wage gains, keep free health insurance
Dec 07, 2012 - Industrial laundry workers, who wash linen for New York's hotels, hospitals and restaurants, voted overwhelmingly to ratify a new master contract between fourteen laundries in the New York Metro area and the Laundry, Distribution and Food Service Joint Board, Workers United/SEIU. Read more...
O'Hare janitors call on Mayor Emanuel to protect middle class jobs in Chicago
Dec 05, 2012 - SEIU members are fighting back as more than 300 janitors and window washers at O'Hare International Airport are at risk of losing their jobs just days before Christmas this year. Read more...
Holding on to a Sliver of the American Dream
Nov 19, 2012 - As we demand that elected leaders create policies to build a prosperous country, where everyone can work for a living, support their families and have a fair shot at a better life, they--and corporations--should remember people like Randy Odum, a skycap at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), whose story is emblematic of the plunging wages in the service sector that have contributed to the decline of the once-great American middle class. Read more...
Oracle Open World meets real heroes
Oct 18, 2012 - Oracle Open World is one of the largest tech. conferences in the world. But amid the high-dollar celebration, a group of security officers visited to draw attention to the hard work that they do for often very little money. Read more...
Fired up about safety, Sea-Tac fuelers deliver a strike notice
Oct 05, 2012 - This blog post originally appeared at It's Our Airport, October 5, 2012. "This here is a broken gear shift," Alex Popescu, an Aircraft Service International Group,(ASIG) fueler said pointing at a blown up picture of a 5,000 gallon fuel truck... Read more...
New England janitors contract win matters to us all
Oct 03, 2012 - Two Saturdays ago, I joined with over a thousand New England janitors, who packed into Boston's Converse Hall. The workers, who were three weeks into a contract bargaining campaign, voted overwhelmingly to authorize their leadership in Local 615 to call... Read more...
New England Janitors Reach Tentative Agreement that Includes Major Gains for Workers on Full Time, Wages and Healthcare
Oct 01, 2012 - In a breakthrough that will improve the lives of 14,000 New England janitors, Service Employees International Union Local 615 and the Maintenance Contractors of New England reached a tentative agreement for a four-year contract that will provide significant gains for workers around hours, wages, healthcare, workload and job security. Janitors still need to ratify the contract. Read more...
Massachusetts Faith, Political Leaders Back Janitors
Sep 28, 2012 - Just days away from a possible strike, New England's 14,000 janitors represented by SEIU Local 615 received a major a boost today as dozens of faith and elected leaders lined up behind their cause. Read more...
New England janitors overwhelmingly authorize strike
Sep 22, 2012 - Janitors in Massachusetts and Rhode Island have voted to authorize their leadership to call a strike against their employers over unfair labor practices committed by their employers. The janitors are in the midst of bargaining for a new contract covering 14,000 workers across the two New England states. Read more...
New England Janitors to vote on strike
Sep 21, 2012 - With contract expiration for 14,000 janitors in Massachusetts and Rhode Island just days away, workers will vote tomorrow on whether to authorize their leadership call a strike to protest their employers' threats and intimidation when the workers stood up for their rights. Read more...
Building Skills Partnership Wins National Award for Their Innovative Immigrant Integration Work
Sep 21, 2012 - Today, the Building Skills Partnership (BSP) was awarded a national E-Pluribus award, worth $50,000, by the Migration Policy Institute for their innovative model for immigrant integration. The non-profit collaboration between the Service Employees International Union - United Service Workers West... Read more...
Members of Congress call on Command Security Corporation to comply with Federal & Local Labor Laws at LAX
Sep 20, 2012 - More than 20 Members of Congress sent a letter to Command Security Corporation to express their disappointment at the company's refusal to participate in a national mediation hearing with the National Mediation Board and SEIU's United Service Workers West, as well as the company's failure to comply with the City of Los Angeles' Living Wage Ordinance. The letter further called into question the company's ethics and integrity. Read more...
In Long Island, NY, JVK Operations Workers say Yes
Aug 16, 2012 - JVK worker leader Juan Salguero with his family. Industrial laundry workers at JVK Operations in Long Island, NY voted overwhelming to join the Laundry, Distribution and Food Service Joint Board, Workers United/ SEIU in a representation election on Monday.... Read more...
Month-long strike wins four-year deal for Houston Janitors
Aug 10, 2012 - We can all be proud of the Houston area janitors, whose brave contract fight and month-long strike secured a tentative agreement that will raise wages 12 percent over four years and beat-back a contractor offer that would have prevented the... Read more...
More than 2,500 San Francisco Janitors stand up for good jobs
Aug 09, 2012 - More than 2,500 San Francisco janitors have marched through the city's financial district in an act of nonviolent civil disobedience by blocking an intersection at the corner of California and Montgomery Streets to defend affordable healthcare for their families. Read more...
"Freedom Flyers" Support Striking Houston Janitors Fight for a Better Life by Participating in Civil Disobedience Today
Aug 01, 2012 - Seven people--including four janitors--were arrested today during a peaceful civil disobedience action in the lobby of a premier downtown Houston office building where janitors are on strike. Read more...
Security Officers Trade Badges for Marching Shoes
Jul 17, 2012 - From July 9th through July 16th, security officers in 10 U.S. cities exchanged their flashlights and badges for protest signs and marching shoes. Check out our Storify compilation for the complete package of live photos, tweets and personal quotes from actions held in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Indianapolis, LA, Newark, Philly, San Fran and the Silicon Valley. Read more...
BREAKING: Hundreds of Houston Janitors Go On Strike
Jul 11, 2012 - Workers Report Potential Stripping of Healthcare Benefits and Other Misconduct as Harassment From Employers After Standing Up For Living Wage IMPORTANT UPDATES: • Hundreds of Houston janitors, the majority of whom make less than $9,000 annually - walked off the... Read more...
Rep. Al Green Challenges JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon On Janitors' "Too Small to Live Off" Pay
Jun 19, 2012 - Janitors in Houston make just $9,000 annually and have been offered only a $.50 raise over the next five years. JP Morgan Chase is a major player in the real estate industry nationwide, including in Houston where more than 3,000 janitors have voted to authorize their bargaining committee to strike. Read more...
Removing the Scales from Our Eyes & Conquering Our Fear
May 28, 2012 - I was a victim of the Great Recession. After losing my job as a paralegal, I found work as a security officer, making the same wage that I did 25 years ago. Here I was over 50, and like so many workers hurt by this economy, I felt like I had moved backwards in time. Read more...
Janitors Vote on Strike Principles for Better Jobs As Silicon Valley Employers Prosper
Apr 11, 2012 - Over two thousand janitors marched through Silicon Valley, Los Angeles and Orange County last week, calling on major companies to improve jobs and address the growing gap of income inequality. The rallies came just a day after SEIU United Service Workers West members voted to authorize the bargaining committee to call a May 1st strike if contractors' final offer failed to live up to good business principles, including dignified wages, affordable health care, and respect for immigrant communities. Read more...
Connecticut Security Officers Vote to Authorize Strike
Apr 05, 2012 - Security officers in Hartford, Connecticut, voted to authorize a strike in the event that an agreement is not met with their employer, SOS Security. Though employed for a private company, the officers work to protect important state buildings, including those that house Homeland Security, Social Services and Revenue Services. Read more...
In Spirit of Martin Luther King Jr., Officers Stand Up for Equality and Freedom at U.S. Security Associates
Apr 05, 2012 - Working families have made great strides since the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 44 years ago. But in recent years, the walls of inequality that divide us have risen too high. Nowhere is this more apparent than with security officers employed by U.S. Security Associates. Read more...
Philadelphia Security Officers Unite for Better Jobs, Stronger Communities
Apr 03, 2012 - Security officers rallied alongside elected officials, community and faith leaders, union members, workers, students and activists in Philadelphia's famous LOVE Park on Thursday to unite for improving the city's security jobs. The 3,000 security officers who are organizing for better wages and benefits will bring millions of dollars to Philadelphia and surrounding communities. Read more...
Thousands of Chicago Janitors Vote "Yes" to Authorize a Strike
Apr 03, 2012 - Janitors in Chicago, Illinois, clean the buildings and office space of some of the richest companies in the world. These corporations are making huge profits, but the janitors' wages haven't increased in real dollars in more than a decade. On Saturday, March 31, SEIU Local 1 janitors voted to give their bargaining committee the power to call a strike. Read more...
Security Officers Call on U.S. Security Associates to Improve Jobs and Raise Company Standards in New York City
Apr 02, 2012 - Security officers and community supporters rallied in New York City this week to call on U.S. Security Associates to respect its employees and improve security jobs. Officers at the Sony Corporation's headquarters building on Madison Avenue say that U.S. Security Associates has stood in the way of workers' attempts to gain better working conditions, wages, training and benefits by violating their right to organize. Read more...
Massachusetts' Logan Airport Workers Receive Support from Lynn City Council
Mar 30, 2012 - On Tuesday, the City Council of Lynn, Massachusetts, voted 10-0 to support a resolution backing Logan International Airport workers as they campaign to be paid a living wage and to earn fair benefits at work. An estimated 180 employees of Logan passenger service contractors live in Lynn. Read more...
'For-Profit U' Ensures Lawmakers and the Public Get the Full Story on For-Profit Education Industry's "Hill Day"
Mar 07, 2012 - As for-profit college associations descended on Capitol Hill today to lobby lawmakers for millions in taxpayer money, SEIU ensured that lawmakers got the whole story -- especially the schools' controversial sales and marketing practices and creation of massive student debt. Read more...
Workers Speak Out About Wage Theft and Discrimination at Chicago's Airports
Mar 04, 2012 - Airport workers and community supporters rallied Thursday in Chicago to draw attention to unfair working conditions at O'Hare International Airport. Passenger service workers at O'Hare joined together with supporters from labor, community and faith groups to announce the findings of a recent study that show many workers receive below minimum wage and have experienced wage theft, mistreatment and discrimination while working at the airport. Read more...
Logan Airport Workers Speak Out at Massachusetts State House Forum
Mar 02, 2012 - Logan International Airport contract workers and community leaders briefed state legislators, legislative staff, and an audience of over a hundred, at the "Lift Off Forum" at the Massachusetts State House this week. Workers testified about what they call the "sweat shop" conditions created by passenger service subcontractors at Logan, and proposed policy solutions. Read more...
Standing in Solidarity With University of Virginia Students and Workers
Feb 29, 2012 - "Today I'm calling upon anyone in our country who believes that each and every worker deserves a living wage," said SEIU President Mary Kay Henry in a video message in solidarity with students on hunger strike at the University of Virginia. Students at UVA have been participating in a hunger strike for more than 11 days in protest of the University's lack of ensuring a living wage for direct and contracted employees. Read more...
Chicago Janitors Kick Off Campaign for Good Jobs for the 99%
Feb 28, 2012 - With the third highest poverty rate and the highest rate of racial income disparity of any major city in the U.S., Chicago's working families are working harder than ever to secure a better future that seems further out of reach every day. Chicago janitors are coming together to change that. Read more...
Workers Speak Out to Improve Jobs at Logan International Airport
Feb 27, 2012 - While thousands of travelers fly in and out of airports every day on business trips or family vacations, many airport workers can barely afford their own commute to work. Workers in Boston, Massachusetts have been speaking out in an effort to change this and improve their jobs with passenger service contractors at Logan International Airport. Read more...
Working People vs. Credit Card Fees: Security Officers Protest Unfair Pay System at U.S. Security Associates
Feb 23, 2012 - Security officers in New York are taking on the financial industry and its seemingly endless fees by standing up to U.S. Security Associates' newly introduced--and deeply unfair--payroll practices. Officers of U.S. Security Associates are protesting a new pay card system they say is taking hard-earned wages right out of their pockets. The private security contractor imposed the system on its employees in New York City without the workers' consent, and officers have started incurring high fees taken from their already modest earnings. Read more...
Schoon Genoeg: SEIU Members Support Striking Cleaners In The Netherlands
Feb 21, 2012 - American janitors and other SEIU members are showing their support for thousands of Dutch cleaners this month who have been on strike since the beginning of January. The cleaners, members of the trade union FNV Bondenoten, are calling for improved wages, sick pay, job security, and better working conditions to do their jobs well. Read more...
Janitors in Dozens of Cities Protest Income Inequality in Support of the 99%
Feb 09, 2012 - Janitors across the country are making their voices heard about the growing income inequality in America, starting with the industry that owns the very buildings they clean and maintain. In dozens of cities, from New York to Chicago to Houston, janitors are protesting the growing income inequality between the richest 1% and the other 99%, while calling on the real estate industry to create good jobs. Read more...
Averting New Years Strike, NYC Office Cleaners Reach Tentative Agreement Protecting More Than 22,000 Jobs
Dec 31, 2011 - In an important victory for office cleaners and their families, SEIU Local 32BJ announced a tentative agreement with the Realty Advisory Board late Friday night. The four-year contract covering more than 22,000 New York City office cleaners protects health and pension benefits for current and future workers, with economic increases in each year of the agreement. Read more...
Janitors Across The Country Pledge to Support NYC Office Cleaners As Strike Deadline Looms
Dec 29, 2011 - Janitors across the country are standing with New York City office cleaners and building service workers who are prepared to strike when their contract expires at the end of the year. Thousands of New York City office cleaners and commercial building workers are seeking a new fair contract that would preserve good jobs with wages that keep pace with the cost of living in New York City, as well as maintain the benefits many families rely on, such as affordable healthcare and sick days. Read more...
Security Officer Lisa Garner Speaks Out About Sexual Harassment at U.S. Security Associates
Dec 21, 2011 - In 2010, Lisa Garner had worked as a security officer for 10 years at the Philadelphia Nursing Home. She loved her job protecting residents and staff -- until another security officer allegedly began to harass her repeatedly with inappropriate comments and lewd behavior. When Lisa complained to her employer, U.S. Security Associates, she realized she was taking a risk. She didn't expect it to end with losing her job this year. Read more...
DC Memo Points to Huge Security Gaps, Poor Training Standards at U.S. Security Associates
Dec 20, 2011 - An internal Government of the District of Columbia memo obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by Stand for Security reveals both huge security gaps and poor training standards at U.S. Security Associates. From July 2010 to May 2011, undercover personnel working on behalf of DC's Protective Services Police Department made several attempts to penetrate security operations run by USSA and/or its subcontractor Watkins Security, at 16 different public facilities. Read more...
SEIU and the 99% Support the 99% in the UK
Nov 30, 2011 - More than 2 million workers comprised of teachers, doctors, court reporters, border-control agents, ambulance drivers and other public-sector workers went on strike across Britain on Wednesday in a massive protest against Prime Minister David Cameron's brutal cuts to vital public services. Read more...
Janitors at Harvard University Vote to Ratify Contract for Good Jobs on Campus
Nov 21, 2011 - Janitors employed and contracted by Harvard University overwhelmingly voted in support of a ratified a five-year contract that will improve jobs on campus and provide students and faculty with a stable, reliable workforce. Read the full story here.... Read more...
Harvard University Janitors Vote to Ratify New Contract Agreement
Nov 21, 2011 - Janitors employed and contracted by Harvard University overwhelmingly voted in support of a ratified a five-year contract that will improve jobs on campus and provide students and faculty with a stable, reliable workforce. Harvard University has committed to providing more full-time job opportunities, while the contract also raises wages, keeps affordable health care and provides all contracted workers the same benefits as employees directly hired by the university. The agreement is an example of how institutions and workers can work together to begin to close the income gap and raise standards for all workers. Read more...
NYC Recognition Awards Honor Bravery and Leadership of SEIU Security Officers
Oct 26, 2011 - This month, security officers who protect New York City were honored at a Security Recognition Ceremony hosted by SEIU Local 32BJ with NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. The ceremony served to honor the men and women who lost their lives on... Read more...
Security Officers at Harvard University Win Big For Their Families and Their Communities
Sep 29, 2011 - At a time when many workers are facing deep cuts in pay and benefits -- leaving families, communities, and local businesses to suffer the consequences -- union security officers at Harvard University have won significant job improvements. With the support of Harvard students, dining hall workers, and Cambridge community leaders, on September 23 Harvard's 270 union security officers -- employed by Securitas and members of SEIU Local 615 -- won a new five-year contract. Read more...
Thousands Rally in 22 Cities Today to Support Good Jobs Our Economy Needs
Sep 28, 2011 - As the nation's attention turns toward job creation, thousands of low-wage janitors and office cleaners in a dozen cities will take to the streets to support jobs that have created a path to the middle class for hundreds of thousands of workers in some of our most hard-pressed cities. Read more...
At Security Industry Conference, Stand for Security Confronts U.S. Security Associates Over Sexual Harassment
Sep 22, 2011 - Sexual harassment ruins lives, lowers productivity, and harms businesses. So why has one of the top security firms in the country, U.S. Security Associates (USSA) been mired in sexual harassment allegations? Add your name to a national letter from these organizations to tell USSA that there is no place for sexual harassment in the security industry. Read more...
National Women's Law Center, National Partnership for Women and Families, and SEIU Call on Nation's Fourth-Largest Security Firm to Remedy Sexual Harassment
Sep 20, 2011 - U.S. Security Associates, which employs more than 26,000 people in 45 states, has been mired in sexual harassment allegations. Read more...
SEIU and Sodexo Reach Amicable Settlement
Sep 15, 2011 - The 2.1 million member Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Sodexo, the world's 21st largest employer, have reached an amicable settlement of their differences. Under this settlement, SEIU and Sodexo have affirmed their mutual commitment to the rights of Sodexo employees to make free and informed choices about unionization. Read more...
Free and Fair Union Elections mean Quality Jobs
Sep 07, 2011 - In June of this year, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced a pro-worker proposed rule change to the current archaic private sector union election process. About ten seconds after the announcement, the Board (and workers around the country) witnessed the beginning of an all-out assault from the opposition. The corporations, and the politicians carrying out their dirty work on the Hill did all they could to spin myths from reality, twisting truths around like a pretzel. Read more...
Miami Security Officers Defend City's Living Wage Ordinance, Strike Against Kent Security
Aug 19, 2011 - Security officers in Miami say they've been underpaid for two years by Kent Security, and they've had enough. On Wednesday, dozens of officers who protect public sites at the City of Miami and the Miami Parking Authority went on strike to protest what they believe is Kent Security's violation of the Miami Living Wage Ordinance. Read more...
Philadelphia Officers, Elected Officials Raise More Concerns about Sexual Harassment at U.S. Security Associates Inc.
Aug 18, 2011 - Dozens of security officers who protect Philadelphia's cultural institutions, businesses and public buildings rallied last week to urge U.S. Security Associates Inc. to clean up its act. The rally was organized not long after a local security manager was accused of sexual harassment and found leaving his business cards of his pornographic side business for all to see at his worksite. The officers at the rally spoke out publicly against USSA's record of sexual harassment in the workplace and called on the company to do a better job of providing a safe environment for its employees. Read more...
Miami Officials Investigating Whether Kent Security Broke Living Wage Law
Aug 17, 2011 - Officials in Miami, Florida say they are investigating Kent Security, a private security firm that has been paid more than $358,000 this year in a taxpayer-funded contract. According to The Miami Herald, the city's procurement director, Kenneth Robertson, told the paper that his department is looking into Kent's payroll records to investigate whether the company is complying with Miami's Living Wage Ordinance. Read more...
Miami Security Officers Strike Against Kent
Jul 29, 2011 - Security officers in Miami, Florida, have voted to authorize a lawful strike unless their employer, Kent Security, raises their wages to comply with the Miami Living Wage Ordinance. Read the story here.... Read more...
DC Mayor Withdraws Support for Security Firm
Jul 29, 2011 - In a victory for the Washington DC community, Mayor Vincent Gray recently withdrew the contract of security firm U.S. Security Associates, Inc. The firm had been awarded contracts to protect the city's public buildings and schools since 2009, and had held an $18 million contract for the past year. The company has a poor record involving a history of lawsuits across 14 states claiming harassment, discrimination, retaliation against whistleblowers, wage violations, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration violations. Read more...
Miami Security Officers Vote to Authorize Strike Over Unfair Wages
Jul 27, 2011 - Security officers in Miami, Florida, have voted to authorize a lawful strike unless their employer, Kent Security, raises their wages to comply with the Miami Living Wage Ordinance. Last week, the officers protested outside City Hall over the contractor taking taxpayer dollars that were supposed to go back into the community. They plan to walk off the job on August 9th unless the company immediately addresses the wage issue. Read more...
NLRB hears from 15,000 of us... at once!
Jul 19, 2011 - On June 21st, the National Labor Relations Board announced proposed rules to modernize the union election process. This small step forward for working people, we knew, would be met with fierce opposition, and it has. So we mobilized online to push back on the opposition by getting the Board to hear our voices. Our goal to deliver a letter co-signed by as many workers as possible during the open public comment sessions was accomplished today! Read more...
Janitors Hit the Streets to Mark 2011 Justice for Janitors Day
Jun 17, 2011 - For more than two decades, SEIU's Justice for Janitors movement has helped low-wage workers achieve social and economic justice and has earned the support of religious, political and community leaders. But in the wake of a poor economy where millionaire CEOs are still cutting jobs and trying to take away workers' rights, it's clear the work is not over. So this year janitors took to the streets again. Read more...
Tomorrow Marks 21st Annual "Justice for Janitors Day"
Jun 14, 2011 - June 15th is the 21st anniversary of the brutal 1990 clubbing by Los Angeles police officers of protesting low-wage janitors that sparked the Justice for Janitors movement. This week, cleaners will once again speak out for fair wages, quality affordable healthcare, and full-time, family-sustaining jobs for their communities in events across the U.S. Read more...
USSA Failure is Not an Option for Washingtonians
Jun 09, 2011 - Since 2009 U.S. Security Associates (USSA) has provided security at Washington D.C.'s public buildings and schools. Now the Council of the District of Columbia is reviewing USSA's contract for D.C.'s public schools and will soon review the private security company's contract for the rest of the District's public facilities. A look at USSA's track record throughout the country shows how the company has failed to meet the conditions of a responsible security contractor. Read more...
Should USSA/Watkins Be Protecting D.C. Schoolchildren?
Jun 08, 2011 - Should USSA and Watkins be trusted with the safety and protection of D.C.'s schoolchildren? For D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, the answer is "yes." Washington reporter Jeffrey Anderson reports that the mayor is urging the D.C. Council to take "prompt and favorable action" to approve and extend USSA/Watkins' multi-million dollar contract, despite knowing the controversial history of USSA. How can this be? Read more...
A Greener NYC - Thanks To Members of SEIU
Jun 01, 2011 - Thanks to a new training program sponsored by SEIU Local 32BJ and the Thomas Shortman Training Fund, hundreds of Big Apple building superintendents are gaining the knowledge and skills to make their buildings greener and more energy-efficient -- helping to save the planet and save millions of dollars. Find out more here. Read more...
A Greener NYC, Thanks to Members of SEIU
May 27, 2011 - Thanks to a new training program sponsored by SEIU Local 32BJ and the Thomas Shortman Training Fund, hundreds of Big Apple building superintendents are gaining the knowledge and skills to make their buildings greener and more energy-efficient -- helping to save the planet and save millions of dollars. Read more...
Miami Security Officers to Kent Security: Stop Cheating Workers and Taxpayers
May 09, 2011 - A group of private security officers in Miami could receive more than $100,000 in unlawfully withheld pay after filing a complaint against one of the city's contracted security companies. The officers say that they were being paid below the minimum wage set by the Miami Living Wage Ordinance for at least two years while working under a taxpayer funded contract. That means taxpayer money went to the company--not the community. Read more...
Justice for Janitors Campaign: Rooted in the Struggle for Immigrant Rights
Apr 27, 2011 - The Justice for Janitors campaign has come to symbolize the power of the poorest immigrants to take on the richest CEO's and win a fight that benefits the whole community. The campaign is the poignant story of janitors who were paid poverty wages, had no benefits and decided to take action. In Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and elsewhere, the lowest-paid janitors took to the streets and proved there is still power in protest politics, delivering victories for janitors and across the country. Read more...
Pittsburgh Security Officers Seek Higher Training Standards
Apr 20, 2011 - Security officers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania have been working to raise standards and improve their jobs, highlighting the need for better training in the private security industry. In a recent letter of support published in the Pittsburgh Business Times, SEIU 32BJ's Gabe Morgan explains why it's time for security officers to get the training and job improvements they need in order to keep Pittsburgh safe. Read more...
Workers Speak Out For Better Jobs at Denver's 'We Are One' Rally
Apr 07, 2011 - In Denver, Colorado, labor unions, activists and community members came together this week to rally in support of workers' rights and to protest the ongoing political attacks against working families.Members of SEIU Local 105, the American Federation of Teachers, the... Read more...
Denver Security Officer Speaks Out For Better Jobs at Citywide Rally
Apr 07, 2011 - In Denver, Colorado, labor unions, activists and community members came together this week to rally in support of workers' rights and to protest the ongoing political attacks against working families. Members of SEIU Local 105, the American Federation of Teachers, the AFL-CIO, Teamsters and groups of local workers marched through downtown Denver and gathered on the Auraria campus to listen to a series of speeches. Read more...
PROMO: Stand for Security
Feb 23, 2011 - Stand for Security... Read more...
Dropkick Murphys release new song in support of Wisconsin workers!
Feb 22, 2011 - There are not many American rock and roll bands that stand in solidarity with the union movement as much as the Dropkick Murphys. As part of the band's efforts to support the workers, the band has released an advanced stream of a new song "Take 'Em Down" and they're working with SEIU and other unions and labor federations to have the song available to be played at rallies across the country. Read more...
Labor's Lens: These Officers Stand for Security
Feb 07, 2011 - United Service Workers West (USWW) security officers in California recently took part in a portrait series that showed them on the job, and captured the importance of their work. We were more than pleased with the results from professional photographers Colin Young-Wolff, and Norbert Von Der Groeben, and thank them for their work. Check out the set on our Flickr page. Read more...
Pittsburgh City Council Calls for Commission to Address Lack of Good Jobs and Inadequate Training in the City's Security Industry
Feb 03, 2011 - Members of the City Council in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, are calling for a new commission to address the need to improve the jobs of hundreds of officers who protect downtown buildings. The decision came after a public hearing held last week at which local security officers spoke about problems plaguing the security industry. The proposed commission would include members of city and county councils, firefighters and community leaders. Read more...
Jersey City and Philadelphia Stand Up For Better Security Jobs and Safer Cities
Jan 28, 2011 - Philadelphia and Jersey City, New Jersey have kicked 2011 off with community events focused on improving jobs in the security industry and creating stronger, safer communities. At a rally held in Philadelphia on Martin Luther King Day, elected leaders and... Read more...
Phila. community leaders stand up for economic justice in security industry
Jan 28, 2011 - At a rally held in Philadelphia on Martin Luther King Day, elected leaders and community members joined security officers to kick off a new effort to improve standards in Philadelphia's security industry. More than 200 supporters gathered to discuss how better security jobs and greater public safety can help communities struggling in a poor economy. Read more...
Community Rallies for Better Jobs and Public Safety in Jersey City
Jan 18, 2011 - Security officers and community leaders came together in Jersey City, New Jersey, last week to announce their effort to achieve higher public safety standards while creating better jobs within New Jersey's private security companies. The rally aimed to show how poor standards in the security industry have a direct impact on the city's public safety and economy. Read more...
When Basic Training Isn't Enough
Jan 11, 2011 - When considering three different security officers, one stationed at a federal government building, one at a chemical waste plant and another at a corporate office park, we expect that each officer received additional unique training for their particular worksite. But more often than not, security officers are not given the specialized training they need to adequately protect the public in their individual jobs. A recent article in Security Director News brings these issues to the forefront. Read more...
SEIU 32BJ ad: There's a Scrooge lurking over Brooklyn
Dec 29, 2010 - Just before the holidays, David Bistricer - who controls Flatbush Gardens, a massive 59 building apartment complex in New York City - Iocked out more than 70 longtime building employees in an attempt to force them to accept a devastating 34 percent wage cut. With such poor treatment of workers and some 8,000 housing violations at the complex, it's easy to see why Bistricer is called one of the "Worst Landlords" in the city. Read more...
Indianapolis Leaders Introduce "Safe And Secure" Bill to Improve Training for Security Officers, Make City Safer
Dec 21, 2010 - As security officers across the country are calling for improved standards in the security industry, elected leaders in Indianapolis are proposing an ordinance that would make the city safer. Currently, Indiana has no regulations for training private security officers, in spite of the fact that they protect millions of lives and billions of dollars worth of property. But Marion County elected officials and community members are working to change that. Read more...
New York: Apartment building workers locked out for refusing cuts
Dec 07, 2010 - When they arrived to begin work start their shifts last Monday morning, SEIU 32BJ apartment building workers employed at one of Brooklyn's largest apartment complexes found themselves locked out, effectively preventing them from performing their jobs and serving thousands of tenants at the massive complex. The employer's action to lock the workers out took place following their refusal to accept a more than 30 percent cut in wages and cuts to benefits that would leave most workers without health care coverage. Read more...
The deficit commission: breaking what's already broken
Dec 01, 2010 - Our retirement system is broken. But the Deficit Commission's plan is to break it even further. I know first hand how just broken the system is--I took an "early" retirement two years ago because my back forced me to. Read more...
Veterans and community leaders hold press conference about the need for good jobs in Indianapolis' security industry
Nov 12, 2010 - In Indianapolis this week, local veterans were joined by faith and community leaders for a press conference about improving security jobs in the community. Similar to press conferences held in Cincinnati and Portland, security officers who once served in our armed forces stood up and called for the better training, higher pay and affordable healthcare that officers need to do their jobs well. Read more...
Cincinnati Veteran: "There's nothing I care about more than my community and my fellow man."
Nov 12, 2010 - This week in Cincinnati, Ohio, veterans, armed service personnel and local community leaders held a press conference calling for improved jobs in the security industry - a sector in which many veterans and armed service personnel work as security guards after serving their country. Read more...
Mary Kay Henry joins janitors to stand up for good jobs in Nashville
Nov 09, 2010 - As cash-strapped school districts in states across the country turn to some of their lowest-paid employees to bear the weight of budget cuts, workers are not taking the cuts lying down. On Saturday, Mary Kay Henry joined janitors to speak out about the fight for good jobs in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools. MNPS custodians are standing up for all hard working families in Nashville by calling for employers to be responsible and treat workers with dignity and respect. Read more...
An Overwhelming Response Against Irresponsible Security Contractors
Oct 22, 2010 - Over the last few days, we've been asking you to take a stand against irresponsible security contractors. The response has been overwhelming. Nearly a thousand of you wrote in, urging leaders in Washington, DC and other cities to stop rewarding public contracts to irresponsible security companies like U.S. Security Associates. Read more...
U.S. Security Associates: Not Up to The Task?
Oct 19, 2010 - Some of our nation's private security firms - like U.S. Security Associates - are letting down our communities and their officers alike, racking up millions of dollars in penalties and damages while aggressively pursuing new work in areas all around the country. Tell D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and other leaders to stop rewarding U.S. Security Associates with taxpayer dollars and use only responsible, law-abiding contractors. Stand up for the security of our children and communities now. Read more...
Keeping America Safe
Sep 10, 2010 - As we mark nine years since the attacks of 9/11 we still face an urgent public safety vulnerability: Poor training and professional standards for front-line security officers. Join us in signing a petition urging the CEOs of the ten largest private security companies to support higher professional standards and a fair wage for security officers. Find out more here. Read more...
Keep America Safe With Stronger Standards for Security Officers
Sep 09, 2010 - As we mark nine years since the attacks of 9/11 we still face an urgent public safety vulnerability: Poor training and professional standards for front-line security officers. Join us in signing a petition urging the CEOs of the ten largest private security companies to support higher professional standards and a fair wage for security officers. Read more...
When Cutting Corners Means Cutting Valuable Jobs
Sep 02, 2010 - JPMorgan Chase has argued that the firing of 16 janitors has nothing to do with their company, saying, "The dispute is between a vendor and employees, not Chase." But the buildings these janitors clean aren't owned by the vendor; they're owned by JPMorgan. The floors these janitors vacuum have the imprints of JPMorgan executives' expensive leather shoes. Read more...
Janitors Fight For Jobs
Week of action telling JP Morgan Chase to stop layoffs concludes
Aug 27, 2010 - In a troubled economy where job creation is the number one priority, one of America's largest banks is firing low-wage workers while their executives make millions. This week in Century City, California, janitors who clean JP Morgan Chase's Century Plaza Towers participated in a 72 hour hunger strike and vigil outside of 2000 Avenue of the Stars. Janitors and community activists also marched and protested at the intersection of Constellation and Avenue of the Stars, telling JP Morgan Chase to "stop the layoffs." Coverage of the week's actions here. Read more...
D.C. City Council Calls For Removal Of Contracted Security Company
Aug 27, 2010 - The largest security company in Washington, D.C. is putting our nation's capital at risk, according to a letter of concern signed by all 13 members of the D.C. City Council. Last week, the Council sent a letter to the Office of Contracting and Procurement urging to "not allow this company to continue benefiting from taxpayer funded multi-million dollar contracts" and immediately bring in a responsible contractor that can be trusted. Read more...
13 Community Activists Arrested to Protest Firing of Janitors at one of LA's Glitziest Buildings
Aug 27, 2010 - Century City's business as usual came to a stand-still Thursday afternoon as the janitors who lost their jobs cleaning JPMorgan Chase-owned Century Plaza towers were joined by 500 janitors, community activists, and union supporters at a march and protest in Los Angeles. The protest was part of a larger week of action to bring attention to the treatment of workers by America's biggest corporations. Read more...
Janitors Fight For Their Jobs and Against Wall Street Greed at JP Morgan's Century Plaza in L.A.
Aug 25, 2010 - In a troubled economy where job creation is the number one priority, one of America's largest banks is firing low-wage workers while their executives make millions. Yesterday in Century City, California, janitors who clean JP Morgan Chase's Century Plaza Towers put up a tent city and began a 72 hour fast and vigil outside of 2000 Avenue of the Stars. The protest kicks off a week of action in support of struggling janitors who recently lost their jobs at one of the glitziest addresses in Los Angeles. Read more...
The 10-Mile March That Helped Launch A Social Justice Movement
Jun 16, 2010 - 2010 marks the 20-year anniversary of the movement that has helped more than 225,000 janitors in more than 30 cities raise industry standards and transform poverty wages into livable wages. Justice for Janitors Day was established after janitors in Los Angeles were beaten by police during a peaceful demonstration against the cleaning contractor ISS on June 15, 1990. Find out more about how the social and economic justice movement J4J got its start. Read more...
On Justice for Janitors Day, SEIU Members Continue to Push for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Jun 16, 2010 - On June 15, 2010, SEIU members and activists joined together at events in more than a dozen cities across the country to honor the legacy of the Justice for Janitors campaign. With a united voice, they called for comprehensive immigration reform and a fair, just voice on the job for all workers. Read more...
SEIU Members Rally on Justice for Janitors Day
Jun 15, 2010 - On June 15, 2010, SEIU members across the country celebrated the legacy of Justice for Janitors Day and its roots in the immigrant workers struggle with events and rallies in over a dozen cities across the U.S.. More about the history and implications of the organizing tactics originating with the J4J campaign that become a movement here. Read more...
Justice for Janitors Campaign: Rooted in the Struggle for Immigrant Rights
Jun 14, 2010 - The Justice for Janitors campaign has come to symbolize the power of the poorest immigrants to take on the richest CEO's and win a fight that benefits the whole community. Over the last two decades, J4J successes have come to serve as the most powerful reminder that united we rise together; that united we can recreate the American dream for workers and deliver justice. Read more...
SEIU Local 32BJ President Named One of the 12 Most Effective Labor Leaders in the Big Apple
Jun 07, 2010 - Mike Fishman, President of SEIU Local 32BJ in New York City, was recently named as one of the 12 most effective union leaders in the Big Apple. The recognition came from City Hall Newsafter consideration from political consultants and longtime observers of the labor movement. Read more...
30,000 NYC Apartment Building Workers Secure Four Year Contract
May 25, 2010 - SEIU 32BJ building service workers have come a long way since the threat of a strike loomed large on the horizon just one month ago. On Friday, a four-year agreement was reached between 32BJ and the Realty Advisory Board (RAB) that provides nearly 10% in wage increases, maintains fully employer-paid family health care coverage and keeps pension benefits secure. Read more...
Update on 2010 - 2011 SEIU Scholarships
May 10, 2010 - The 2010-2011 SEIU Scholarship season is now closed. Members who completed applications for any of the scholarships will receive a letter in mid-June letting them know if their application was successful or not. Read more...
SEIU Elects Mary Kay Henry to Lead 2.2 Million Member Union
May 08, 2010 - The 73-member International Executive Board (IEB) of SEIU met in Washington DC on Saturday, May 8th to elect Executive Vice President Mary Kay Henry the 10th president of the nation's fastest-growing union. Read more...
Columbia University Security Officers Win New Contract
May 03, 2010 - With a new contract that will take effect this week, 160 security officers who work at Columbia University will see their wages and health care coverage improve dramatically. Under the new four-year contract between Summit Security and SEIU Local 32BJ, wages will rise by as much as 45 percent for many officers. Read more...
Behind-The-Scenes Of The Doormen Strike That Almost Was
Apr 27, 2010 - GritTV was on the ground documenting the mobilization that took place behind SEIU Local 32BJ's negotiations with the New York Realty Association Board recently, as the apartment building service workers fought for a new contract that would preserve benefits and allow them to make a livable wage. Read more...
Dutch cleaners victorious, as longest strike in 77 years ends
Apr 26, 2010 - longest strike in the Netherlands since 1933 has just ended, with a remarkable victory by more than 1,000 janitors who have been on strike for nine weeks. FNV Bondgenoten, one of SEIU's global partner unions, reports that the workers will receive a 3.5 percent wage increase over a two-year contract, and the strikers will receive a significant lump sum payment from their employers. Read more...
SAVED
U.S. Hugo Boss Factory Staying Open; 350+ Workers Keep Their Jobs
Apr 23, 2010 - 350+ suit makers' jobs have been saved, as workers at the Hugo Boss plant ratified a new three-year contract today that keeps the Cleveland factory open. The new three-year agreement contains a $10 per hour plant average, $10.20 in the second year and $10.40 in the third year. Read more...
Statement from Workers United Announcing Ratification of Hugo Boss Worker Contract
Apr 23, 2010 - The Hugo Boss workers at the company's factory in Brooklyn, Ohio just overwhelmingly ratified a new three-year contract. The tremendous efforts of the workers--members of Workers United, SEIU--as well as the efforts of many elected and community allies, have led to this tremendous moment. Read more...
30,000 NYC Apartment Building Workers
Secure New Contract
Apr 21, 2010 - On Friday, May 21st, SEIU 32BJ apartment building workers secured a four-year agreement with the Realty Advisory Board that includes $547 million in wage and benefit increases. It's a big victory for the 30,000 workers, who are thrilled to have won a contract that includes nearly 10% in wage increases, maintains fully employer-paid family health care coverage and keeps pension benefits secure. More here. Read more...
Strike Averted for 30,000 NYC Apartment Building Workers
Apr 21, 2010 - GREAT news out of New York City for 30,000 of the city's doormen, security guards, bellhops, concierges, supervisors and handymen. It really came down to the wire, but at 12:10 a.m. Wednesday morning--just past the formal expiration of the previous contract--SEIU 32BJ apartment building workers won a tentative four-year agreement with the Realty Advisory Board that includes $547 million in wage and benefit increases. Read more...
The Clock is Ticking...Strike by 30,000 NYC Apartment Building Workers Could Begin At Midnight
Apr 20, 2010 - More than 1 million people throughout New York City could find their apartment buildings absent of the doormen, security guards, bellhops, concierges, supervisors and handymen whose services they rely on--and these aren't the only services they could be missing, come midnight tonight. Read more...
Keeping NYC A Place Working Families
Can Afford to Call Home
Apr 08, 2010 - In less than two weeks, more than one million people throughout New York City could find their apartment buildings absent of the doormen, security guards, bellhops, concierges, supervisors and handymen whose services they rely on. Read more...
Support Stronger Standards for Security Officers
Apr 08, 2010 - Click here.... Read more...
Will 30,000 NYC Apartment Building Workers Go on Strike?
Apr 07, 2010 - Failure to reach a new contract by 12:01 am on April 21st could lead to a strike of apartment building workers at over 3,200 apartment buildings in New York City. The bottom line: Nobody wants a strike, but if the Realty Advisory Board (RAB) and SEIU Local 32BJ cannot not reach a new contract agreement before this time, it's likely going to be the outcome. Read more...
SEIU Local 26 fights to prevent anymore window washers from plunging to their deaths
Apr 05, 2010 - Three window washers from the Minneapolis area have died from accidents while washing windows at work in the last few years. Most recently, this type of senseless tragedy took the life of SEIU Local 26 member Fidel Sanchez-Flores, who was killed when he fell while working at the IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis. When window washers and members of his union demanded increased safety standards regarding new ropes and rope attachment points, their employer locked them out of their jobs. Read more...
Universal Studios Janitors Win Higher Wages, Guaranteed Full Time Hours
Mar 22, 2010 - Following a raucous march through Universal City Walk and a rally in front of the iconic entrance to Universal Studios Hollywood, janitors who work for NBC Universal won a new contract with the Hollywood studio to end shortened work hours, raise wages for entry level workers, and protect high quality health care benefits. Read more...
Tell Hollywood: No Hugo Boss on the Red Carpet
Mar 02, 2010 - You would think that if you're selling high-end fashion like Hugo Boss does, you could afford to pay decent wages to the people who make them. And you'd be right. That's why actor Danny Glover is asking stars not to wear Hugo Boss on the red carpet at Sunday's Academy Awards. Read more...
VICTORY IN THE TWIN CITIES
Janitors Win Full-Time Green Jobs, Better Health Insurance in New Contract
Mar 01, 2010 - Read more...
VIDEO: Victory in the Twin Cities
Mar 01, 2010 - When the Twin Cities show up for work today, nothing will seem out of the ordinary. The more than 4,000 janitors in all the skyscrapers, office buildings, and airport terminals will be on the job - keeping the city running. And they may have a big smile on their faces. After 26 hours of last-minute bargaining, SEIU Local 26 janitors won a contract for good, green full-time jobs that include affordable health care. Read more...
Today is the Deadline for SEIU College Scholarships
Mar 01, 2010 - SEIU awards 52 scholarships through five different scholarship programs that enable members and their children to pursue their educational goals at accredited colleges, universities, and technical schools. The deadline for all applications is before midnight on March 1, 2010 (that's today!), so please check out the opportunities available and apply now so you don't miss out. Read more...
RICHARD, MEET ROSALINA
Bank Planned to Foreclose on the Woman Who Cleans CEO's Office
Feb 26, 2010 - You have the attention of one of the richest men in America. Over the past two weeks, we've worked hard to get the ear of Richard Davis, CEO of US Bank. We wanted to talk to him about how his bank has hurt people like Rosalina Gavilan Gomez, the woman who makes $12.97 an hour to clean his executive office every night. US Bank bought up her house through foreclosure and told her that she, her husband, and her son had to be out by March 11th. Read more...
VIDEO: Richard, Meet Rosalina
Feb 26, 2010 - In an incredible breakthrough, executives from U.S. Bank agreed to meet with Rosalina Gavilan Gomez, a janitor who cleans the office of U.S. Bank President and CEO Richard Davis, and whose home is being foreclosed on by the bank. Rosalina isn't alone--several other janitors who clean the big bank buildings in the Twin Cities face foreclosure, and they're standing up to the banks. Read more...
Community to Big Banks: "You Can't Play Monopoly With Our Lives"
Feb 23, 2010 - Today, students, workers, clergy, and other members of the community demonstrated at the Wells Fargo Center in downtown Minneapolis, to protest Wells Fargo's lending practices while tens of thousands of Minnesota homes have been foreclosed on in recent years. To symbolize this loss, 14,000 little monopoly houses were dropped by "Mr. Moneybags" at the action site. Read more...
How are SEIU Locals celebrating Black History Month?
Feb 19, 2010 - February is an opportunity for all Americans to remember and learn about our ongoing legacy of struggles for equal rights and justice for all--something Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for up until his death. Dr. King knew that without economic justice, there could be no legal equality. There could be no social justice. He realized how hard and how long this struggle would be. Read more...
Residents, Workers, Students Disrupt Bankers Meeting in Saint Paul
Feb 16, 2010 - Demanding that big banks like US Bancorp and Wells Fargo fulfill their responsibility to rebuild our economy by supporting good jobs in our community, Minnesota taxpayers and janitors protested a meeting of the state's top bankers on Tuesday. Read more...
Twin Cities Janitors Authorize Strike Over Unfair Labor Practices; Fighting for Green Jobs With Good Health Care
Feb 01, 2010 - More than 4,000 janitors who clean the majority of commercial office buildings in the Twin Cities metro area have been working without a new labor agreement since Jan. 8. So, over the weekend, hundreds of janitors voted almost unanimously to authorize a strike if necessary. Read more...
Minnesota: 10,000 Lakes, Countless Good Jobs, One Green Future (Video)
Jan 06, 2010 - Twin Cities janitors and members of SEIU Local 26 are continuing their campaign for good jobs that protect the environment in 2010. Members kicked off the campaign at their 2009 convention and continued it last week, when hundreds of janitors held a rally just before Christmas and marched through downtown Minneapolis skyways demanding a fair settlement with cleaning contractors. Read more...
2009: Remembering the Year That Was...
Jan 05, 2010 - We started the year on a high note: The Inauguration of President Barack Obama, for whom our union worked day and night to elect. As we usher in 2010, we took a closer look back at the legislation, people, stories and campaigns that made an impact on our members and all working people in 2009. Check out our timeline of the year's highlights for working families and SEIU members here. More on the SEIU campaigns that drew a lot of attention this year in our review of the top 10 SEIU Blog stories of 2009. Read more...
Highlights Reel: SEIU 2009 Organizing Successes
Dec 16, 2009 - Watch highlights from some of SEIU's successful organizing campaigns of 2009. Campaigns highlighted include Missouri in-home caregivers, 1199SEIU Boston healthcare workers, Local 721 LA city engineers and professionals, child care workers in Illinois and Cleveland, OH 1199WV/KY/OH nursing home workers. Read more...
VIDEO: BofA's Ken Lewis wins "Turkey of the Year" award
Dec 02, 2009 - On November 23rd, security officers McKallen and Gittens were joined by local clergy leaders and fellow 32BJ SEIU members to deliver the "Turkey of the Year" award to ousted BofA chairman Ken Lewis for his role in allowing the banks' workers to be treated so horribly. Watch video of the magnificent turkey hand-off here. Read more...
PHOTOS: Ken Lewis's "Turkey of the Year" award
Nov 25, 2009 - To recognize Ken Lewis for his role in allowing the bank's security contractor to treat workers so terribly right before the Thanksgiving holiday, the laid-off BofA guards presented him with a "Turkey of the Year" award yesterday. On a silver platter, no less. Check out a few photos here. Read more...
Laid-off Security Officers Crown Ken Lewis: 'Turkey of the Year"
Nov 24, 2009 - Seeing as how the end of Lewis's profit-driven rein as CEO of BofA is finally in sight, SEIU 32BJ members have decided it's high time to recognize Mr. Lewis...with a "Turkey of the Year" Award. Bank of America security officers will deliver a frozen turkey to the ousted CEO for his role in allowing the bank's security contractor to fire some 40 security officers working at BofA buildings in NYC right before the holidays. Read more...
Back on the job: National Archives cleaners rehired
Nov 24, 2009 - Seven SEIU Local 32BJ members finally got their jobs back with the National Archives in Washington, DC, this week, after a federal agency cleaning contractor, LB&B Associates Inc., fired them without cause last summer. The workers who clean around some of the most important national records in the world, such as the Declaration of Independence, maintained that they lost their jobs for doing exactly what their supervisor ordered them to do: clock out early. Read more...
King of Beers Cutting Costs on the Backs of Workers
Nov 06, 2009 - Cleaners at Anheuser-Busch breweries in Newark and Rochester recently found themselves without jobs, despite years of loyal service to the "King of Beers." The brewing behemoth has brought in cleaning contractors who seem bent on cutting costs for the $23 billion dollar multinational on the backs of the working people who keep their plants running and profitable. Read more...
LA Security Officers Win Their Union
Oct 30, 2009 - After several months of organizing to demand livable wages, health insurance, training and better working conditions, 850 Securitas workers at Los Angeles County and other public facilities will be officially recognized as members of SEIU SOULA. Read more...
Turning the Big Apple into the Big Green Apple
Oct 11, 2009 - The energy consumption of our nation's large buildings is inextricably linked to the talent, training, and hard work of building operators. Teaching our building operators to maintain our large structures is the highest-impact way to address the climate crisis, at the lowest cost. The Urban Green Council (United States Green Building Council of New York) and SEIU Local 32BJ have released a report detailing the essential role that building workers play in improving energy efficiency and discuss how 32BJ's training initiative will help New York City's building superintendents go green. Read more...
In the Pursuit of Truth: Protecting the U.S. Census
Oct 09, 2009 - Yesterday, in yet another attempt to marginalize U.S. immigrants and inject hate into politics, Senator David Vitter (LA-R) introduced an amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations bill that would require questions in the 2010 census on immigration status. If passed, Vitter's amendment would throw a monkey wrench into the U.S. Census, making it completely unreliable as the one document that is supposed to paint an accurate picture of who we are as a nation. Read more...
San Francisco Residential Service Workers Ratify New Contract with Building Owners
Oct 08, 2009 - On Thursday, October 8, more than 300 residential service workers announced that they have ratified a new three-year union contract with the owners of more than 50 San Francisco residential buildings. The new contract maintains current benefits, decent wages, as well as ensuring wage increases for the residential workers. Read more...
Appreciation for the workers who help your children make healthy food choices
Oct 06, 2009 - Two new "trends" are helping to make over school lunches in many schools across the nation--nutritional awareness and the local foods movement. As a kid, you don't make meal choices yourself and unfortunately, not all adults care to prepare healthy snacks and lunches for their children, or have the means necessary to do so. Thankfully, there are men and women out there who are encouraging your children to make healthy foods choices at lunch time: food service workers. Read more...
Tell Congress: Get It Right on Child Nutrition!
Oct 02, 2009 - Click here... Read more...
Tell Congress: Get It Right on Child Nutrition!
Oct 02, 2009 - On September 30th, the Child Nutrition Act expired. The Congressional Committee on Education and Labor, which oversees the Act, had the opportunity to improve the lives of our children and those that feed them. But rather than pass a bill that would create a program that works far better, they simply decided to simply take a pass for the next few months. Read more...
Fun Video: Students Want Better Food
Sep 28, 2009 - When food comes to you wrapped in plastic, you just know it's going to be delicious, right? Students in San Francisco are begging to differ. Assisted by the SFUSD Student Nutrition and Physical Activity Committee, these students have produced a short film about the state of school lunches and what's being served to them as "food." Read more...
Remember The Lunch Ladies?
Sep 28, 2009 - Read more...
How Poverty Jobs Are Created
Sep 23, 2009 - In this month's American Prospect, David Moberg writes an exposé on how government contracts are creating poverty-wage jobs. Through the story of New Jersey school cafeteria worker Ada Iglesias, Moberg personalized the connection between the federal dollars and a struggling family. Read more...
Washington Post Editorial: "School Lunch Punch"
Sep 21, 2009 - The Washington Post has published an excellent editorial piece on the Child Nutrition Act. In it, the newspaper's editorial board preaches the "wisdom of spending more money to provide healthier meals." Read more...
Remember The Lunch Ladies?
Sep 18, 2009 - Click here.... Read more...
Remember The Lunch Ladies?
Sep 15, 2009 - In a few weeks, the Child Nutrition Act is set to expire. Now is the time to get the word out. Today, we're releasing a new video that explains the Child Nutrition Act and why it's important - in a retro style that you might remember from your own days at school. Read more...
Thanking John Sweeney for his years of service to workers
Sep 14, 2009 - Today, SEIU President Andy Stern thanked outgoing AFL-CIO president John Sweeney for his 50+ years of service to working families, and congratulated his successor, Richard Trumka. Read more...
Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid?
Sep 10, 2009 - Each and every day, security officers go to work and put themselves on the frontline protecting the safety of others and the nation's key resources, and serve as first responders when needed. Yet despite their hard work to ensure the health and safety of others, they and their families might not be insured. Read more...
Scare Tactics? They Don't Faze Us.
Sep 10, 2009 - Click here.View imageView image... Read more...
Share your Labor Day photos and video
Sep 08, 2009 - One hundred and twenty-seven years after the first Labor Day parade, we still take a day to honor America's workers. Did you attend a Labor Day celebration, march or rally with SEIU members or any of our coalition partners? We want to know! Use this form to upload your photos, audio and video capturing your Labor Day experience. Read more...
Miami Beach Security Officer Loses His Job for Speaking Out About Forming a Union
Sep 01, 2009 - Security guards employed by Security Alliance in the Miami Beach area have been experiencing intimidation, scare tactics and harassment at the hands of their employer for exercising their rights to organize. And when one officer went on the record to express frustration over he and his coworkers' unsuccessful efforts to form a union in their workplace, his reward for having the courage to speak up was...losing his job. Read more...
Senator Kennedy Walked the Picket Line for Justice for Janitors
Aug 31, 2009 - In 2002, Senator Ted Kennedy walked the picket lines, held a press conference, and rallied public support for 10,000 Massachusetts janitors fighting for their first contract. His dedication and continued presence throughout the long negotiations helped some of Massachusetts hardest-working and most underpaid workers win a livable wage and access to healthcare----even for part-time janitors. Read more...
LA Times: "Congress May Bolster School Lunch Nutrition"
Aug 28, 2009 - First Lady Michelle Obama's White House garden, says the LA Times, is giving nutrition advocates "increased hope that Congress would bolster the school lunch program" when "it takes up renewing the Child Nutrition Act." Read more...
Leslie Williams, Food Service Worker
Aug 24, 2009 - Read more...
Support an Improved Child Nutrition Act
Aug 24, 2009 - Click here.... Read more...
"Back To School" Puts Focus on Healthy School Meals
Aug 24, 2009 - With young students and their parents fully in "Back To School" mode, local papers have started to swirl around the topic of school lunches and the Child Nutrition Act, which is set to expire at the end of September. Read more...
Economy Causing More Kids to Enroll in School Meal Plans
Aug 21, 2009 - Record job losses and high unemployment will "push thousands more children into poverty," many for the first time. The change could amount to a record number of children in the United States that will rely on free and reduced-price meals at school. Read more...
Grist Magazine: Let's (Re)do School Lunch
Aug 17, 2009 - Published today in Grist is a fantastic commentary by Kurt Michael Friese, a chef in Iowa City and a member of the board of directors for an organization called Slow Food USA. His article discusses how, in the last 50-75 years, we've moved from an "understanding of foods, of cooking, and of the pleasures of the kitchen" and replaced it with "the language of the drive-thru, the shopping mall, and the convenience store." Read more...
The Vanguard of an American Clean Energy Revolution
Aug 10, 2009 - The benefits of green buildings cannot be overstated--and one of the most cost-effective ways to "green" a building is to ensure that it has a knowledgeable and well-trained workforce. SEIU 32BJ's Training Fund has developed the first-ever Green Buildings Initiative to train building superintendents in the latest, state-of-the-art, best practices in energy efficiency. Read more...
Local Paper: "Lunch Ladies Go To D.C."
Aug 05, 2009 - The SouthtownStar, a local newspaper in Chicago, has an excellent article about our "lobby day" from a few weeks back, where we told our members of Congress that an improved Child Nutrition Act is needed to ensure that millions of children get the type of food that they need. Read more...
Meet Leslie Williams, a School Food Service Worker
Jul 28, 2009 - Leslie Williams, a school food service worker, has been at the job for 20 years. When she talks about her job, she lovingly refers to the children as "her babies." They rely on her to take care of them and cook them a wholesome meal during lunch. Sometimes, it's the only hot meal that they get that day. Read more...
First-ever national union contract for security officers
Jul 27, 2009 - On Saturday, 2,000 security officers who guard Kaiser Permanente facilities in five states ratified a three-year contract with security contractor Securitas that includes family healthcare and a 40-cent per hour wage increase each year of the contract. The victory by officers at Kaiser holds historic national significance--it is the first-ever national contract for private security officers. Read more...
SEIU Security Officers Who Protect Kaiser Permanente Hospitals Nationwide Vote Overwhelmingly to Ratify First-ever Union Contract
Jul 25, 2009 - Security officers with SEIU who protect Kaiser Permanente hospitals nationwide voted overwhelmingly today to ratify their first-ever union contract. The three year contract with private security company Securitas includes family healthcare and higher wages. Read more...
US Senator Gillibrand: Increase Reimbursement Rate for School Lunches
Jul 22, 2009 - Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is using her clout to back legislation to make school lunches healthier. Among her ideas is to increase the federal reimbursement rate for the National School Lunch Program, which currently stands at $2.68 for a free lunch. Read more...
Video: Janitors protesting Cisco Systems end hunger strike
Jul 17, 2009 - On June 9, dozens of janitors laid off from Cisco Systems in San Jose, CA ended a 7-day hunger fast protesting the company's corporate greed, unfair treatment and laying-off of 40 percent of its total janitorial workforce. Check out this new video SEIU United Service Workers West created documenting the breaking of the fast. Read more...
Recognize the important role food service workers play in your kids' health
Jul 16, 2009 - Yesterday, Service Workers United cafeteria workers from across the country went to Capitol Hill to lobby members of Congress for stronger USDA Child Nutrition Programs. Watch Illinois food service worker Marlon Taylor discuss why he loves his job working with kids and why it's important to improve the Child Nutrition Act. Read more...
School Food Workers to Members of Congress: We're Hungry for Change
Jul 15, 2009 - For the first time in the 63-year history of our nation's School Lunch Program, front-line food service workers are on Capitol Hill today to petition their government to strengthen the program that serves food to more than 30 million children every day. Read more...
32BJ Endorses Mayor Bloomberg for Re-election
Jul 15, 2009 - Yesterday, SEIU Local 32BJ endorsed Michael Bloomberg for re-election. Why? Because Bloomberg has proven his commitment to working families, raising security industry standards and taking action to make sure out-of-work New Yorkers have the resources necessary to find employment. Read more...
CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 to Protest Scheme to Outsource Students' Health and Safety
Jul 14, 2009 - Members of the CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 chapter that represents the Connecticut Windham Public Schools' food service workers will speak out against outsourcing food services at Board of Education public forum tonight. Read more...
New Report: Nation's Buildings at Risk
Jul 09, 2009 - Click here.... Read more...
New Report: Nation's Buildings at Risk
Jul 09, 2009 - A new government report released yesterday has dropped a bombshell on the state of private security and its ability to protect our nation's most important buildings. In a routine check on the state of private security for our nation's federal buildings, investigators were able to sneak explosive materials inside - get this - a total of 10 out of 10 times. Read more...
Higher Worker Wages on the Table in NJ
Jul 08, 2009 - In a move that "could have a major effect on public school food service workers' wages," the New Jersey State Legislature is considering a new bill that would make sure that workers are paid the prevailing wage. Read more...
Living wages are in Con Ed's Power
Jul 06, 2009 - Con Ed employee Fernando Cruz is one of more than 28 million people--about a quarter of the working-age workforce--who work full time yet still earn less than the income that marks the federal poverty line for a family of four: $9.04 per hour, a full-time salary of $18,800 a year. Read more...
AP Covers Philly Schools' Pilot School Meals Program
Jul 06, 2009 - Today, the Associated Press published an interesting profile on the Philadelphia, PA school district and its pilot program for feeding its hungry children through school meals. Key to the program is the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act later this year. An improved Child Nutrition Act is a top priority for the thousands of school food service workers that SEIU represents Read more...
Support Sick Days for Food Service Workers
Jul 06, 2009 - Click here.... Read more...
SEIU Member Killed in DC Metro Tragedy
Jun 25, 2009 - 32BJ member Ana Fernandez was one of the nine confirmed dead after the tragic Metro crash in Washington this week. To help make ends meet for her family of six children, Ana was on her way to her second job as a cleaner at a building downtown when the crash happened. Read more...
WashPost Opinion Piece: "Lessons From The Holocaust Museum Shooting"
Jun 22, 2009 - Last week, the Washington Post published an opinion piece authored by Valarie Long, the Vice President of SEIU Local 32BJ. In the piece, Long recognizes the importance of the job that security officers perform each and every day, raises the need for improved standards on the job, and offers her condolences to the family of Officer Johns. Read more...
Study Depicts Tough Times for Food Service Workers, Offers Recommendations
Jun 22, 2009 - Thousands of school food service workers in New Jersey are living at or near poverty, according to a new study from Rutgers University's Center for Women and Work. The study, authored by Dr. Mary McCain, addresses the scope of the problem in general, and then offers recommendations to fix these problems. Read more...
What was your Dream?
Jun 19, 2009 - Remember what it was like when you had a dream? For many immigrant students their dreams of pursuing higher education can't be realized because of their immigration status - even though they may have lived here most of their lives. Read more...
Documentary "The Philosopher Kings" portrays culture of janitors
Jun 18, 2009 - In the new film "The Philosopher Kings," eight extraordinary janitors throw off the cloak of invisibility to give us an extraordinary look into their lives. Read more...
Officer Johns: A True Hero
Jun 11, 2009 - No doubt, you've likely heard about yesterday's tragic shooting incident at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where security officer Stephen T. Johns tragically lost his life. The event is a bitter reminder about the importance of these brave men and women who serve as the "first line of defense against a terrorist attack," and the methods that can be taken to ensure their safety while on the job. Read more...
When did layoffs become 'acceptable'? Put working families above Cisco profits
Jun 08, 2009 - As janitors and community supporters continue their hunger strike outside of Cisco Systems corporate headquarters in San Jose, Mercury News columnist Mike Cassidy has written a thought-provoking column about the corporate strategy of treating layoffs as 'par-for-the-course' events that are the cost of doing business in this downtrodden economy. Read more...
Janitors in midst of 7-Day hunger strike protesting Cisco Systems
Jun 05, 2009 - For two days now, dozens of janitors janitors, members of faith and community supporters have had absolutely nothing to eat, only drinking water as they determinedly camp out outside of Cisco's corporate headquarters in San Jose. The janitors at Cisco Systems first began protesting the corporation--which currently has more than $34 billion in cash assets on hand--when contractor ABM Industries Inc. laid off more than 40 percent of its total janitorial workforce in February. Read more...
Victory for New York City Security Officers
May 20, 2009 - After months of negotiations with national security contractors Allied Barton and FJC Security Services of Long Island, SEIU Local 32BJ security officers have won new union contracts that provide significant wage increases, employer-paid family health care and benefits for some 3,000 city-contracted security officers over the course of three years. Read more...
These Cuts Hurt
May 18, 2009 - Security officers who protect hospitals, medical staff, and patients at one of the nation's premier healthcare organizations just had their health coverage cut by their employer Securitas. Read more...
Big Banks Liquidating Your Company? Let Us Know
May 15, 2009 - Today, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) launched a toll-free hotline and website--Keep America Working--to support small business owners and workers facing job loss because of frozen credit and liquidation at the hands of bailed-out banks. Visit www.keepworkinghotline.org if your company is facing liquidation threats from big banks. Read more...
Report shows NJ food service workers get low pay, few benefits
May 08, 2009 - Thousands of school food service workers in New Jersey are living at or near poverty, according to a new report commissioned by SEIU Local 32BJ, which found that the average hourly wage for food preparation workers in educational services was only $8.15, and that most had no health benefits. Read more...
Mayor Bloomberg walks a day in the shoes of SEIU 32BJ security officer
May 08, 2009 - "For me and for so many of my co-workers, the main issue is our healthcare," said Annie Davis, a 54-year-old New York security officer and SEIU Local 32BJ member during her day-long visit with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Read more...
Illinois Workers United Suit Makers' Jobs On the Cutting Table
May 05, 2009 - Workers United members at the Hart Schaffner & Marx (known as Hartmarx) menswear factory in Des Plaines, IL, make suits for President Obama, but their jobs may not make the cut. Read more...
Christian from Boston
Apr 06, 2009 - [YouTube video] Read more...
"Remembering King, Realizing the Dream" March and Rally in LA April 4th
Apr 02, 2009 - The 5,000 member SEIU-SOULA (Security Officers United in Los Angeles) Local 2006 will join community organizations in a three-mile march to commemorate the 41st anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr's death on April 4th in LA. Read more...
Security Officers nationwide hitting the streets in support of the Employee Free Choice Act
Mar 20, 2009 - After attending the National Worker Mobilization in Washington D.C. March 8-11, security officers returned to their home cities and spread out to talk to non-union security officers about the Employee Free Choice Act. Hundreds of security officers represented by SEIU spoke with more than 500 officers who currently don't have a union in 12 cities, signing them up to take action on the important worker legislation. Read more...
Congressman Boren and Cintas Hanging You Out to Dry
Mar 17, 2009 - Corporate special interests are spending *millions* of dollars on lies, propaganda and twisting arms -- all in a desperate, greedy bid to keep hard-working Oklahomans like you from sharing in the American Dream. And Rep. Dan Boren is more than happy to help those corporate interests. Read more...
America's Recession-Resistant Jobs
Mar 16, 2009 - For the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs or feared for their job security in the past couple of months, one might think there are simply no jobs to be had in this current economic down spiral. Although no job is 100 percent secure, it's encouraging to know that there are job sectors that are still in need of educated employees right now. Read more...
Janitors Call On Banks to Use Taxpayer Money to Create Jobs, Not Reward CEOs
Mar 09, 2009 - On Thursday, hundreds of Chicago janitors and supporters rallied at Fifth Third Bank in Schaumburg to call for good jobs and an economic recovery that works for everyone, not just the people at the top. Janitors marched from Woodfield Mall to the bank, chanting loudly and holding purple banners reading "Value Work." Read more...
Can My Boss Do That?
Mar 06, 2009 - When workers face job loss, they often don't know where to turn for answers. They may be improperly denied their last paycheck, not given the proper amount of notice, or told by their employer that they cannot collect unemployment benefits. New website "Can My Boss Do That" will act as an online clearinghouse to help people understand their rights and protections on a state-by-state basis. Read more...
More than 3,000 Chicago Janitors Rally for Good Jobs to Strengthen Our Economy
Mar 02, 2009 - On Sunday afternoon, over 3,000 SEIU Local 1 janitors and community supporters crowded into the historic Chicago Theater and then marched to LaSalle Street in an effort to call attention to low-wage workers struggling to keep afloat in a time when corporate CEOs are still getting bonuses. Read more...
Green Jobs: "Clear Path to a Stronger Middle Class and a Stronger American Economy"
Feb 27, 2009 - The world is facing a historic opportunity to rebuild our global economy through investments in sustainable projects that will create new jobs, reduce our dependence on oil and protect our planet after decades of mismanagement. Read more...
Celebrating Black History: special edition computer desktop wallpapers
Feb 12, 2009 - As part of SEIU's 12th annual celebration of Black History Month, our talented SEIU Creative Services team has designed four special-edition computer desktop wallpapers for use on your Mac or PC. Download them now and you can celebrate Black History Month all month at work or at home. Read more...
Introducing SEIU's Member Lobbyists
Feb 11, 2009 - Nine SEIU members and workers from key states across the country have relocated to Washington, DC for a three-month long stint as a grassroots lobbyist on Capitol Hill. Stay tuned for updates, as our members report to us on what they're hearing about health care, the Employee Free Choice Act and restoring economic strength to Main Street. Read more...
Good Jobs, Green Jobs: Help Wanted
Feb 05, 2009 - Green job creation and training is happening right now, all over the country, fueled by the belief that it is possible to ease the intensity of our climate crisis and employ more people to work in better jobs (all at the same time). Read more...
Obama and Biden Launch Middle Class Working Families Task Force
Jan 30, 2009 - Today President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden announced the creation of the Middle Class Task Force, which the White House blog says is "targeted at raising the living standards of middle-class, working families in America." Read more...
In 2008, More Than 88,000 Workers United in SEIU
Jan 29, 2009 - The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its annual union membership report yesterday that showed an increase in union membership nationwide for 2008 -- the largest growth rate on record since 1983. Growth in SEIU -- 88,926 members -- accounted for nearly 21 percent of the national growth. Read more...
CA Security Officers win historic victory as Kaiser Permanente replaces irresponsible contractor
Jan 23, 2009 - Security officers who work for Kaiser Permanente medical facilities won a big victory over irresponsible security contractor Inter-Con. -- a company that used threats, intimidation and termination tactics for three years against struggling officers supporting efforts to join a union. Read more...
Security Officers Seeking to Form Union With SEIU Score Major Victory Over Irresponsible Contractor
Jan 16, 2009 - Security officers responsible for protecting patients and staff at Kaiser Permanente medical facilities nationwide won a major victory over an irresponsible security contractor after a three-year struggle where officers seeking to join SEIU faced threats, intimidation and termination for union support. Kaiser Permanente replaced the irresponsible contractor, Inter-Con, with a new contractor called Securitas, a company that is union in many industries and client sectors throughout California. Read more...
Hilda Solis Will Stand for Justice, Open Doors for Millions of Workers in America
Jan 09, 2009 - "At this critical juncture in our great nation, I cannot think of anyone more qualified than Representative Hilda Solis to re-establish the U.S. Labor Department's priorities of justice, fairness, and equal opportunity for all workers," said SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina today, in his statement of support for Representative Hilda Solis's confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Labor: Read more...
SEIU Janitors and Business Leaders Unveil New Model for Making Health Care More Accessible And Affordable for Thousands of Low-wage Workers
Dec 17, 2008 - In a city where one in three residents live without health care, the unveiling today of a new clinic in Houston that will offer low-cost, quality care to over 5,300 of the area's commercial office janitors is an innovative step in the right direction. Read more...
Houston Janitors and Responsible Corporate Leaders Help Address Crisis for Thousands of Low-Wage Workers with Groundbreaking New Health Clinic
Dec 17, 2008 - Houston janitors are joining elected and community leaders today to unveil the "Houston Service Workers Clinic"--a partnership between janitors, responsible corporate leaders and health care providers that offers a groundbreaking model for providing low-cost, quality health care for low-wage workers. Read more...
SEIU Reaches Agreement with Wackenhut
Dec 16, 2008 - SEIU has reached an agreement with The Wackenhut Corporation, the second-largest security company in the United States and a subsidiary of G4S plc. The agreement brings an end to a long dispute and establishes an agreed upon framework to work together in interest of security officers. Read more...
Student Petition Backs Janitors at College
Dec 05, 2008 - A delegation of students at Langara College delivered a petition to the school's administration yesterday demanding the school intervene to protect the rights of workers who clean the campus. Read more...
Award-Winning Video on SEIU Labor Leader Eliseo Medina Shows Evolution of Immigrant Rights Movement
Dec 04, 2008 - Today, the Santa Fe Film Festival will screen Tribute to Eliseo Medina, a short film documenting SEIU Executive Vice President Eliseo Medina's remarkable career. From a 19-year-old grape picker to his leadership today as one of the most important labor and immigrant rights leaders in the country, Medina's story shows us the power of "yes we can" thinking and reminds us how grassroots campaigns can change the course of history. Read more...
Who We Are
Nov 12, 2008 - [youtube video] Read more...
SFO Workers Vote to Authorize Strike
Oct 28, 2008 - Airline service workers at San Francisco International Airport voted overwhelmingly yesterday to authorize a strike at one of the busiest airports in the country. Read more...
"Dear Sarah..."
Oct 01, 2008 - My name is Marshall Clemons and I'm a school custodian in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I've been a custodian for 16 years and I'm proud of the work that I do to ensure that our students have a clean and safe place to learn. Read more...
Justice for Janitors (promo)
Oct 01, 2008 - Justice for Janitors... Read more...
Justice for InterCon Security Officers
Sep 24, 2008 - [youtube video] Read more...
Security Officers Uniting
Sep 23, 2008 - Today, more than ever, the safety and well-being of building tenants and the public depends on security officers. But too often, we find ourselves without proper training and proper compensation for the job we do. That's why security officers across the U.S. are coming together to form a union with SEIU, the country's largest and fastest-growing union of private security officers. Read more...
Improving Security
Sep 23, 2008 - Private security officers are a critical part of the network of first responders, but turnover among security officers is a major problem. Security officer turnover rates in non-union markets often average 100-300% per year - rates that rival the fast food industry. Read more...
Campaigns
Sep 23, 2008 - Today more than ever, the safety and well-being of building tenants and the public depends on security officers. But too often, we find ourselves without proper training and proper compensation for the jobs we do. Read more...
About the Industry
Sep 23, 2008 - Some private security firms are taking the low road, undermining efforts by security officers, building owners, and responsible security firms to improve standards in private security. Get the facts about the security industry, standards and enforcement, security companies, and security unions. Read more...
About Us
Sep 23, 2008 - We are the largest union of security officers in the nation, made up of over 25,000 officers who work for private security companies and 30,000 officers who work in the public sector. We have SEIU members in Chicago; Los Angeles; Milwaukee; Minneapolis-St. Paul; New York; San Francisco Bay Area; Sacramento; Seattle; and other cities. Read more...
Story on Public Services
Sep 14, 2008 - This text is in the Excerpt field. Pellentesque nibh felis, eleifend id, commodo in, interdum vitae, leo. Praesent eu elit. Ut eu ligula. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos hymenaeos. Maecenas elementum augue nec nisl. Proin auctor lorem at nibh. Read more...
Janitors Strike Against Cleaning Contractor to Defend Civil Rights at Two General Growth Properties Malls
Sep 09, 2008 - Low-wage mall janitors at Park Meadows Mall in Littleton, Colorado, and Southland Mall in Hayward, California, are walking off the job today to protest unfair labor practices committed by the Millard Group, which cleans malls owned by General Growth Properties, the nation's second largest mall owner. Read more...
SEIU Members Get Ready to Mobilize for General Elections
Jun 24, 2008 - Nurses, child care and home care workers, janitors, security officers and other SEIU members across the country are already talking to voters and hitting the streets in key states and races across the country. Read more...
Strike Spreads in Silicon Valley, Bay Area
May 21, 2008 - Striking janitors are demonstrating outside the Intel shareholder's meeting this morning in Mountain View as concerned investors inside question the company's policies on issues that affect working families. Read more...
Day 1: Silicon Valley Janitors Walking Off the Job Today
May 20, 2008 - Janitors who clean some of the area's highest-profile corporations are trading their brooms for picket signs today. Hundreds of janitors are walking off the job at Cisco Systems, Yahoo, Hewlett-Packard, Oracle and other high-tech and bio-tech corporations throughout the Silicon Valley. As the strike expands, it could spread to other parts of the Bay Area. Read more...
OBAMA: CLEARLY THE PRESUMPTIVE PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE
May 06, 2008 - "Senator Obama's commanding win in North Carolina and close showing in Indiana means he is clearly the Democratic nominee for President,"said Anna Burger, SEIU Secretary-Treasurer. "We've had a long process and the outcome is now clear. The Democratic Party should come together to focus on winning in November." Read more...
Justice for Janitors Launches New Website TheIrvineCompanyWatch.org as Thousands Demonstrate Outside Buildings Owned by The Irvine Company in LA
Apr 30, 2008 - As contracts covering more than 16,000 California janitors expired this week, thousands of janitors marched and rallied outside buildings owned by The Irvine Company in Century City and in Orange County's Fashion Island while playing drums, waving brooms and chanting. Read more...
Security Officers Win First-Ever Union Contract
Apr 14, 2008 - -D.C. City Council Members and clergy joined with Local 32BJ today to announce agreements with the four top private security contractors in Washington D.C. on 4-year contracts providing nearly 1,500 private security officers with the higher wages, health care and other benefits they need to support their families Read more...
SEIU Members Endorse Sen. Barack Obama
Feb 15, 2008 - Nurses, childcare workers, janitors and other service workers endorsed Sen. Barack Obama for president today, calling him the candidate with the best vision, best plan and best strategy to lead the country to a new American Dream. Read more...
Security Officers Reach Ratified Agreement on Historic Union Contract in Los Angeles
Jan 25, 2008 - SEIU Security Officers United in Los Angeles Local 2006 announced Jan. 26th they have achieved a ratified agreement on their first union contract. The contract will be the best-ever of its kind in the country, raising total compensation--wages and healthcare--by nearly 40 percent for more than 4,000 hard-working Angelenos. Read more...
1,000 Aramark Workers and Their Supporters March on Aramark's World Headquarters to Demand Company Do Better for Customers, Taxpayers, and Workers Across the Country
Nov 14, 2007 - More than 1,000 Aramark workers and their supporters who provide food and cleaning services at facilities across the country came together in Center City with public school parents, clergy and elected officials to call on Philadelphia-based Aramark to improve its treatment of workers and customers at Aramark facilities. Read more...
MEDIA ADVISORY for Nov. 17th: Activist Armada of Small Boats to Take "Private" Beach of Exclusive Fisher Island Public
Nov 13, 2007 - An armada of decorated boats will carry hundreds of activists on Saturday, November 17 to the sheltered and until now thought to be off-limits beaches of Fisher Island-named the nation's most expensive zip code by Forbes and labeled "Fantasy Island" by the New York Times-to protest discriminatory and abusive treatment of the workers that clean, maintain, and protect the island. Read more...
Service Workers Call on Aramark to stop leaving Houston Families Behind
Nov 09, 2007 - Last year, thousands of Houston janitors and their families won, for the first time, better wages, access to affordable health care, and dignity on the job. But there are thousands more service workers in Houston who still struggle to make ends meet at dead-end, low-wage jobs with no path toward health insurance. Read more...
SEIU's Efforts to Improve Private Security Industry Standards Are Challenged by Wackenhut Lawsuit
Nov 02, 2007 - "In the last month alone, Wackenhut security lapses were confirmed at one nuclear power plant, and Wackenhut guards were caught sleeping on the job at another nuclear power plant. Instead of addressing the problems that led to the lapses, Wackenhut has chosen to fight its employees' efforts to improve security. Read more...
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