On the Anniversary of King's Work With Memphis Sanitation Workers,
Largest Union Organizing Drive by Black Workers in History
Holds Hope for Families, Communities
NAACP Says It Stands With Officers
WASHINGTON, April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- On the anniversary of the Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s work with Memphis, Tenn., sanitation workers, low-
wage security officers are coming together in Los Angeles, Boston,
Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., for a national day of action to fight for
justice for themselves, their families and their communities. Officers have
launched the largest union organizing drive by black workers in history, in an
effort to raise living standards for their families and economic opportunity
for black communities.
Private security is one of the Top 10 fastest-growing occupations,
according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Figures also show in large urban
centers a majority of officers are black. Despite the post-9/11 focus on
security issues, private security continues to be a dead-end job where
officers struggle to get by without affordable health insurance and little
opportunity for advancement. There are more than a million security officers
nationwide, according to the Congressional Research Service.
"Officers are leading a fight to turn dead-end jobs into jobs that our
community can be proud of -- jobs you can raise a family on," said Janet
Peterson, a security officer who lives in North Philadelphia near Temple
University where she works. Janet is a single mom struggling to raise two
daughters and a grandson on $8.90 per hour. Janet uses the city's free
clinics for medical care. Paying for the health insurance on her salary was
too much of a struggle with monthly premiums approaching $160.
The National Executive Board of the NAACP recently endorsed the officers'
fight and agreed to "stand with officers who are fighting for a better life
for themselves and their families ... If security companies provided officers
with raises and benefits, hundreds of millions of dollars would flow into our
nation's communities of color and poor neighborhoods."
Officers chose April 4 to launch a national day of action because of the
date's significance in the civil rights movement. Dr. King was struck down in
Memphis April 4, 1968, one day after marching with the city's striking
sanitation workers.
A variety of events are taking place in cities where officers are
organizing:
Los Angeles
The Rev. James Lawson, one of King's top advisers and the organizer of the
Memphis sanitation workers march, is marching with security officers in
downtown Los Angeles.
Philadelphia
Students are joining security officers who guard Temple University to
develop a plan to help officers win better wages and benefits.
Washington, D.C.
Students, religious leaders, and elected officials are joining officers at
a community forum at Howard University.
Boston
Security officers are meeting with members of the clergy and elected
leaders at a church in Roxbury.
For more information on April 4 events, contact Cynthia Kain at
202-898-3220 or visit http://www.seiu.org.
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SOURCE Service Employees International Union
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Related links:
http://www.seiu.org
CONTACT:
Angela Davis, +1-212-388-3696, or Cynthia
Kain, +1-202-898-3220, both of Service Employees International
Union
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