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Redheads Unite!
At 4:30 p.m. today, a rally and march led by a cast of security officers will take place in the financial district. (We'll try to grab some shots of the officers getting all Norma Nae-y.) Unionized security officers of the Service Employees International Union Local 24/7 are in a huff and not taking it anymore. According to the Chronicle:
The union said it is seeking to boost compensation for security officers so that it equals other union-represented workers in office buildings. Local 24/7 said security officers earn, on average, $5 per hour less than union janitors in the same buildings. Janitors receive free family health care through their full-time employment, the union said.
Also, some bike messengers will honor the picketing officers by (if we assume correctly) not delivering packages to some of the 14 buildings that are now security officer-free. (At last! A breath of fresh air for many a receptionist! We kid. Way to go, scruffy bike messengers!)
Read more about it here.
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Dear Security "Officers",
Please get back to work. If you would like to earn $5 more per hour, by all means, grab a mop. Janitorial work is awarded a higher salary than yours because:
1) Janitors clean toilets, empty trash cans, scrape gum and generally perform unrewarding work that our culture finds demeaning.
2) They withstand decreased social status for such work.
3) Their work is physical. They do not (*cough, cough*) stand around all day.
4) Their work is essential. Without it, society cannot function. By contrast, we all know how much security you're actually in a position to provide. (We've all seen the heist flicks.)
If you would like petition your employer for greater benefits, feel free. But presumably you're picketing in order to rally public opinion to your side. When you equate your negotiations with The Plight of the Janitor you're insulting our intelligence, not to mention the janitors themselves .
Sincerely,
The Public
Dear sangfroid826,
Please don't insult hard working people because you are ignorant and feel the need to trash talk hard working people. Being a security guard is now the most dangerous profession in the United States(yes it's even more dangerous than being a police officer or firefighter), but as a security guard your family won't get a pension if you die, and you won't have health insurance to pay for your care after you get attacked.
But beyond the extraordinary hazards of working as a security guard there is no reason why anyone who works should get paid a poverty wage in the united states(the wealthiest country in the world).
Dear SEIU:
So your negotiations with a handful of building management companies aren't going so well, and neither of you likes the deal that's being offered. Do you work with the other side to creatively come up with a better, more competitive deal that benefits all parties?
No, you decide the best thing to do is to punish *everyone* who works downtown, whether they're affiliated with your adversaries or not, by making a noisy pain in the ass of yourselves with drums, bullhorns, and the same tired, unimaginative all-purpose chants leftists have deployed at every strike, protest, and rally for the past 40 years. (Side note: do you think you could try and come up with some new material besides the worn-out "what do we want / when do we want it" and the equally worn-out and vaguely violence-threatening "no justice no peace"?)
I work over a block away from one of your temper tantrums, in a building that SEIU does not have any beef with, and the racket you're making is disrupting my ability to focus on what I'm doing. How is that fair? When I'm unhappy with my boss, do I find the security guards in my building and distract them with noise when they're trying to concentrate on something? No, I deal directly with the persons I have a problem with and don't try to make my problem everyone else's problem. You should try to do the same.
And re: guest #2: "there is no reason why anyone who works should get paid a poverty wage in the united states(the wealthiest country in the world)." Well, there is a reason: it's called "supply and demand." Face it: the job may have occasional difficulties and hazards, just like any other, but the qualifications for it are not onerous and there are apparently many people willing to take the job at what clients are willing to pay for it (i.e. supply is very high). You want more money for your service, offer more value for your clients' money -- or, you can use all that time that you have on the night shift when nothing's happening to study for skills that will improve your marketability and let you take on a better-paying job down the road.
- Alex