Security Guards Go On Strike In S.F.

SAN FRANCISCO, Sep. 24, 2007(KGO) (KGO) -- Private security guards in San Francisco's financial district went on strike on Monday. They're demanding better wages and access to affordable health care. Now the mayor is calling for both sides to sit down and work out a new deal.

Hundreds of private security officers rallied on Monday afternoon demanding better wages, more training and affordable medical benefits.

Security officers began walking the picket lines in front of 14 buildings in San Francisco. They are represented by the Service Employees' International Union, SEIU.

"Right now security officers even though they work full time protecting these multi-billion dollar properties, they only earn about $24,000 dollars a year, that's less than half of what it takes for a family to make it in the Bay Area and they don't have access to affordable health care," said Gina Bowers from SEIU Local 24/7.

Dashune Cooney says his medical benefits are not what they used to be.

"They want to change it. They revamped the entire health care system that we were receiving and they separated it and now a person would have to jump through hoops in order to be seen by a physician," said security guard Dashune Cooney.

The group representing building owners issued a statement revealing the two sides haven't even begun negotiating pay and benefits yet.

The group says: "All the contractors have made plans to continue uninterrupted service to all of their customers during any job action."

But by midday, some other union members were honoring the guards' picket lines. A Safeway driver decided not to cross it, but later pulled over to attempt to deliver his goods.

"Respect us, tell him you can't get in," said one of the guards striking.

A guard convinced him not to and he eventually drove away.

"Because I got to do what I got to do, but they got to do what they got to do too," said a truck driver.

The manager of a parking lot tells us the strike has not affected his business.

"Regular customers are coming right in actually they don't know what's going on," said parking manager Ed Yglesias.

But once this driver found out there was a strike going on, he promised not to park here.

Both sides will meet on Wednesday to continue to negotiate. We don't know if or when they will call of the strike, but the negotiations are being followed very closely by security guards across the nation who are in the process of bargaining and negotiating their own contracts.

They will take their cues from what is happening in San Francisco.

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