Contract Negotiations Continue for San Francisco Security Officers.

Less Than 1 Percent of Security Officers Have Honored Picket Lines

SAN FRANCISCO -- Security companies in San Francisco continued negotiations today for a new contract covering security officers in the Bay Area. SEIU Local 24/7 agreed to the companies' proposal for accelerated negotiations, with bargaining sessions now scheduled to continue through Friday evening.

Less than one percent of the 5,500 security officers covered under union contracts honored picket lines after union leaders called for labor action on Monday. The union announced that remaining picketers are expected to return to work tomorrow morning.

The security companies include ABM Security Services, AlliedBarton Security Services, Securitas Security Services U.S.A., and Universal Protection Service.

"We are pleased that security officers will be returning to work tomorrow," said Guy Thomas, spokesman for the security companies. "We look at this as a good sign as we progress toward a contract that is good for our employees and good for our clients."

By agreement between the companies and the union, the negotiations are centered on workplace policies and procedures to ensure security both for the buildings and for employees. Wages and benefits will be addressed next. The security companies believe that union leaders should accept the current policies and procedures because the union negotiated, approved and ratified the same terms four years ago. Security companies also noted that during the four year period of the current contract, there have been no arbitration disputes concerning current policy and procedure language.

"We are continuing to negotiate in good faith and believe that the existing policy and procedures are good ones and should be adopted by union leadership this year, as they were in the past contract," Thomas said.