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Twin Cities security officers strike against six employers
27 February 2013
| MINNEAPOLIS - Security officers represented by Service Employees International Union Local 26 reached a last-minute agreement with one employer, but launched a one-day strike against six others Wednesday. |
Just after 4 a.m., Local 26 reached a tentative agreement with American Security, after 14 hours of emergency bargaining through the night, the union said. The remaining six employers -- G4S, AlliedBarton, Securitas, Viking Security, ABM Security, Whelan -- would not agree to the tentative deal.
Pickets are up at several locations in the Twin Cities, with an all-day picketline in front of the Wells Fargo Center, 90 S. 7th St., in downtown Minneapolis.
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| Security officers Demetruis Moore (left) and Nathan Kane picketed Wednesday outside the Wells Fargo Center in downtown Minneapolis. |
“The strike – which is a response to unfair labor practices by their employers – was called after some of the employers subcontracted by the corporate elite, including Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank and Target, walked away from negotiations before reaching an agreement with 2,000 security officers to jointly create stable, full-time jobs,” the union said in a statement.
“Going on strike is a huge sacrifice – none of us want to do this,” said Kevin Chavis, a security officer subcontracted by AlliedBarton for Wells Fargo Center. “But it feels like if we don’t act, there’s not going to be any middle class left. All Minnesotans need fair wages and affordable health care for our families. As a Minnesota company, American Security was able to step up and take care of Minnesotans – the others should follow their lead.”
Local 26 security officers and janitors voted Feb. 9 to authorize a strike if necessary. After negotiations that lasted more than 31 hours last weekend, 4,000 Local 26 janitors came to a tentative agreement with their employers.
The union and the security contractors returned to the bargaining table Tuesday afternoon. The security officers have been working without a contract since Dec. 31.
Wednesday’s one-day strike comes on day three of the “Unlock our Future” Week of Action, just a day after non-union retail janitors participated in a strike in front of the downtown Minneapolis Target store. |
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