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Workers return from strike to discover missing jobs
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SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - Striking security guards in The City’s commercial buildings returned to work Thursday as a sign of good faith during contract negotiations, but at least four of those workers returned to find that their jobs had been permanently filled.
The guards, who work for Universal Protection Services, were told to report to the company’s main office for reassignment when they showed up for work Thursday after striking for three days. Union officials say the move was illegal, but a company spokesman said the replacements were justified because the strike was illegal.
Workers for three different security companies that contract with Service Employees International Union Local 24/7 walked off the job at 14 San Francisco buildings Monday, and were joined Tuesday by workers at seven more buildings. The guards have been working without a contract since June 30, and are demanding higher pay and family health care.
In all, an estimated 140 workers participated in the strike, but decided Wednesday evening that they should go back to work as negotiations got under way Wednesday.
But when Robert Ravare and three other workers showed up to work Thursday morning, they were told their positions had been permanently filled.
“A couple of the bosses from Universal came and told me I had been permanently replaced,” Ravare said Thursday. “I was to report to them at 11:30 to try to find me a replacement area.”
The practice of permanently replacing striking workers is legal if the strike is a general or “economic” strike, said Joseph Grodin, a law professor specializing in labor at the UC Hastings College of the Law.
The union, however, claims it was holding an “unfair labor practices” strike, protesting company practices of threatening workers with their jobs if they participated in union action.
“If it is an unfair labor practice strike, then the employer must take the people back, assuming they make an unconditional offer to return to work,” SEIU lawyer Orrin Baird said Thursday.
But a spokesman for the group of 20 security companies in negotiations with the union said the strike was illegal in the first place.
“It is the belief of the companies that the union acted illegally in the brief strike activity, and they are in the process of filing multiple charges at the federal level,” Sam Singer said Thursday.
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1:12 PM MST on Fri., Sep. 28, 2007 re: "Workers return from strike to discover missing jobs"
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5:08 PM MST on Wed., Sep. 26, 2007
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10:05 PM MST on Mon., Sep. 24, 2007
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10:21 AM MST on Mon., Sep. 24, 2007
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Apres said:
There are lots of jobs that are in a sense "dead end." Teaching does have a track to management, but so does security work if you prepare yourself through advance education. Few rise to management and in teaching, few rise to department heads or or principals.... The trouble with security is that it is often observation and sign-ins and out, and patrol that are boring and thus unhappiness. It is basically static - a post without much need for supervision. The most skillful will rise to management. You are probably not going to get a living wage or many benefits with a union, but I think a consortium of businesses in a building may be willing to contract more effectively....
117 agree | 119 disagree
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Bob said:
To the security guards: You don't like your low paying job GO back to school, take computer classes, accounting classes; SF City College offers great classes that are either free or low tution I worked in the hotel/resturant business for years and was tired of the low wages and very little benefits; and now 20 years later after year $20,000 I now earn over $65,000 a year working in legal; i worked 50 hour weeks in the resturant business, took classes when ever i had free time; i was tired, some times thinking of giving up but i kept looking for that light at the end of the tunnel;EDUCATION is the key word these days
125 agree | 108 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I participated in the strike vote and found the process quite irregular. No secret ballot just signs and multiple proxy votes from Oakland! We were not allowed to walk out of there with a no vote! This union flexes its muscle at the risk of low paying jobs. I feel for the guards at U.P.S. but they should have researched their union like I did and realize that the strike vote was illegitimate. Come on! We waved cards around! How many of those at the meeting were actually SF guards? I saw a few that I knew but not many more. Many of those in purple shirts, Union reps, also voted! Booo! SEIU should get some professional organizers instead of those kids right out of College! Furthermore, the NLRB sets standards regarding strike votes according to other union reps I spoke to. We the workers were mislead by a union attempting to flex its muscle in our front yard without any regard for our welfare!
109 agree | 115 disagree
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City Dweller said:
I'm not understanding the resolution by the BOS in support of the strike when City employees, including SEIU, have no-strike contracts? Typical of this awful Board.
168 agree | 119 disagree
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topoo said:
has anybody ever seen Securitas guards? they look like the exploited from other countries and some are so old, they'll enjoy sleeping on the job, like this is america, what a cushy job. how can they better train guards, they don't do anything except watch people all day long, standing at attention. for what? for the terrorist to make their arrival? it's a lazy man's job, it's not even a real job, most are slouches, many are afro-american. most people do it so they can move onto other things. the worse ones are the lifers, who grow old, fat, lazy, and stupid in this line of work. some can't read or write and they're born in the us of a.
171 agree | 148 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
I agree. Good for them. The pay could be better,especially at high risk jobs like hospital security and armored cars. Some security officer jobs include first responder,firefighter and emergency medical technician duties. They are the first to respond when something happens. They prevent thefts,handle situations with drugged out people and other stuff before the police arrive. Richard Jewel,the security guard at the Atlantic Olympics,saved many lives had he not seen that backpack before it exploded. Instead,he was accused of setting it up to make him look good. Turned out it be someone else responsible for bombings at abortion clinics. Most security officers are dedicated to their job and do it well. Sure,some tend to abuse their jobs,just like the police but most I know are good people who like their job. They just feel under-appreciated by the client and their security company.
156 agree | 174 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Good for them! They are underpaid, underappreciated, and overworked. Most companies get at least $24 per hour for guard service; they should give more of that to the guards. I hope that they can make Securitas, ABM, Guardsmark, etc. see the light and pay them what they are worth.
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