SPFPA MAKES BNA's TOP 10 LIST
BNA recognizes SPFPA as one of the Most Active and Successful Organizing Unions in The United
States Today!
SPFPA Organizing Director Steve Maritas
SPFPA Continues to
WIN Elections in 2006 & 2007
100 U.S. Department of Homeland Security Police Officers in Washington D.C. working for Paragon Systems Inc join our SPFPA Family in 2007.
Security Police Professionals working at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital voted for SPFPA representation in January 2007.
Lead CSO's and SSO's employed by U.S. Protect in Washington D.C. join our SPFPA Family in 2007.
Security Professionals working at The Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. Voted SPFPA YES on January 18th 2007.
LOOMIS FARGO & CO VICTORIES
SPFPA Scores another victory for the security officers working for Loomis Fargo adding their Yuma, Arizona location to a long list of organized locations.
Armed Security Professionals working for Loomis Fargo & Co in Utah had voted unanimously for SPFPA representation despite Loomis Fargo's ANTI - UNION Tactics.
Loomis Fargo Security Officers working in Greenbay, Wisconsin Vote SPFPA YES!
GRAND SLAM VICTORY
for SPFPA
Loomis Fargo, Utah
American Guard , CA
Securitas , MO
OMNI SEC , D.C.
60 Security officers working for American Guard in Ca had voted for SPFPA representation.
CSS Security Professional working in Downtown Detroit will now be represented by the SPFPA after the the employer agreed to a Card Check Recognition.
Security Professionals working for Securitas at the Port of Tacoma in Seattle, Washington have joined the SPFPA after the Employer agreed to a Card Check
In another election that very same day
20 Security Police Professionals working for Santa Fe Protective Service at the Waste Isolation Pilot Project in New Mexico voted in favor of SPFPA representation. During this election the employer had offered some of its employees a $5000 wage increase if they would vote down the union. Unfair Labor Charges were filed with the NLRB and we are glad to see these Security Police Professionals were not fooled.
25 Security Professionals working for SECTEK in Seattle, Washington Vote SPFPA Yes 8/21/06
65 Security Police Professionals working for Wackenhut Allutiq at Fort Leavenworth, KS have joined the SPFPA this August
SPFPA Defeats ugsoa once Again
After a 9 month delay to get an election the security professionals working for Albert Gallatin HS in Penn voted unanimously to be represented by the SPFPA on 7/9/06
Security professionals working at Shearon Harris Nuclear facility in North Carolina had their voices heard on Thursday June 22, 2006. The result, 47 highly trained security professionals voted in favor of unionization by the SPFPA while 39 voted against with 11 challenges still to be determined in an upcoming hearing at the National Labor Relations Board.
"The irony of this whole situation is the fact that the National Labor Relations Board in North Carolina changed the eligibility date from December 8th 2005 to June 1, 2006 allowing Securitas to hire 12 new trainees on June 1, 2006 to be eligible to vote in this election. This is what the union calls stacking the deck in favor of the employer, since these 12 new trainees would be in favor of voting no." Stated SPFPA Organizing Director Steve Maritas.
Securitas’ underhanded tricks against its own employees at Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant are not new. Just prior to the first scheduled election on January 1, 2006; the International Union, Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America, SPFPA filed charges against Securitas with the National Labor Relations Board for violations of election laws during the first campaign. The charges included granting $1.00 raises prior to a scheduled vote on January 26, 2006, threatening employees that : annual performance- based raises would no longer occur because there was going to be a union vote; the employer could take away anytime they wanted, the $1.00 per hour across the board raise the employees had received starting January 1, 2006;
If the union was elected, that Securitas would take the $1.00 raise the employees had received on January 1, 2006; if the union was elected, the employer would start negotiations at zero and reduce the employees’ wages from where they were as of January 1, 2006; if the union was elected, the employer would stop employees from reading, watching TV, and listening to music-but if the union was not elected, the employer would overlook these activities; if the union was elected, employees would no longer be allowed to bring food in to the briefing room on New Year’s or any other time, as they had previously been able to do- that room could only be used for official business in the future; if the union was elected, supervisors would no longer help employees with their checks when they were shorted on time; and Securitas representatives engaged in surveillance of suspected union supporter employees and engaged in threatening, anti-union conversations in the presence of such employees. The union ultimately dropped these charges as well as other charges filed by the SPFPA so that a new election could take place on June 22, 2006.
At this time the SPFPA will have their day in court on behalf of these Securitas officers, hopefully in a couple of weeks before the NLRB in North Carolina. The arguments are clear:
The NLRB had changed the eligibility date from December 8th 2005 to June 1, 2006 without the approval of the SPFPA.
The employer had underhandedly hired 12 new trainees on June 1, 2006 to offset the yes vote in favor of Securitas.
The NLRB had refused to accept the SPFPA challenges that these 12 new trainees were ineligible to vote based on the payroll period, thus forcing the union, SPFPA to challenge these 12 new trainees as supervisors of Securitas.
Securitas threatened its employees with loss of benefits in a recent letter written by Deb Leatherberry during the critical period of the second election.
During this hearing the SPFPA will ask the NLRB to open these 11 challenges. If the union is successful in receiving two (2) yes votes out of the 11 votes the union will automatically win based on the numbers.
UPDATE: SPFPA WINS ELECTION AFTER COUNTING THE CHALLENGED BALLOTS
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6/8/06 - Security Professionals working for DTM Corporation in Ft. Lauderdale vote for SPFPA
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60 Wackenhut / Allutiq Security Professionals working at Fort Levenworth had voted unanimously to merge with the SPFPA
this past April.
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45 Akal Security Professionals working at
Patrick Airforce Base voted to join SPFPA
this past April.
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SPFPA Defeats ugsoa once Again
33 Security Professionals working for
Alpha Protective Services, Inc.
in Miami Florida Voted March 8th
to be represented by the SPFPA
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Security Professionals working for
SSA in West Palm Beach Florida
Voted SPFPA YES this March
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Akal Court Security Officers Working in Kalamazoo Michigan
Voted SPFPA YES February 21st
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60 Security Professionals working on
the docks of LA California for
American Corporate Security
have chosen to be represented by SPFPA
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110 ugsoa Local 38 Wackenhut Officers in
OREGON DUMP ugsoa For SPFPA!
ugsoa Received Only 1 Vote!
11/21/05
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227 ugsoa members in Miami
Voted in Two Separate Elections
to be Represented by
the SPFPA on 10/21/05
ugsoa only received a total of 6 votes
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SPFPA Welcomes the
162 ALUTIIQ, MELE and 65 SSA SECURITY INC
Security Professionals into the SPFPA Family
Several other ugsoa across the country
have contacted the SPFPA and are just waiting
for their open periods to join SPFPA
SPFPA 82 % Organizing Win Rate
IS THE HIGHEST IN THE COUNTRY
A Recent report by an independent union busting firm clearly RECOGNIZES - SPFPA as having the HIGHEST WINNING ORGANIZING Percentage rate in the country COMPARED to the Ten Most Active Organizing Unions
SPFPA Organizing Win Rate since 2004 is an astonishing 82 % with 77 wins . Compared this win rate to the 10 most active unions in the country. Report ending 2005.
STEELWORKERS
TEAMSTERS
AUTO WORKERS
COMMUNICATION WORKERS
FOOD & COMMERCIAL
MACHINISTS
OPERATING ENGINEERS
ELECTRICAL WORKERS
PAINTERS
SERVICE EMPLOYEES
SPFPA also holds the record for having the Highest Winning Voter Percentage during this period with astonishing 70% voter rate in favor of SPFPA.
Over the last 5 years SPFPA has won over 154 Elections with total eligible voters amounting to 15,574 and a Winning Organizing Rate of 74% Topping again the most 10 active unions in the country. Report ending 2005.
The above rate does not include recognition agreements obtained over the last five years and the 13 mergers of other security unions who saw the benefit of merging with the Largest Union of Security Professionals in the country SPFPA!
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The McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) applies to every contract entered into by the United States or the District of Columbia, the principal purpose of which is to furnish services to the United States through the use of service employees.
WAGE DETERMINATION NEWS
McNamara O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) Memorandum Number 198
U.S. Department of Labor
Employment Standards Administration
Wage and Hour Division
Washington, DC 20210
Memo 198 / May 20, 2005
ALL AGENCY MEMORANDUM NUMBER 198
TO: All Contracting Agencies of the Federal Government and the District of Columbia
FROM: Alfred B, Robinson, Jr. (Deputy Administrator)
SUBJECT: Service Contract Act Health and Welfare Fringe Benefit Changes
In accordance with the requirements of Section 4.52 of Regulations, 29 CFR Part 4, the prevailing health and welfare fringe benefits issued under the McNamara O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA) will be increased on June 1, 2005. As prescribed by the regulations the new benefit rate is derived from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Cost Index (ECI) summary of Employer Cost for Employee Compensation. Effective June 1, 2005, the new SCA health and welfare benefit will be $2.87 per hour.
Based on the regulations adopted in 1996, SCA wage determinations (WDs) have contained two different health and welfare fringe benefit levels - a "low" level benefit and a "high" Ievel benefit. The low level benefit was updated every year on June 1, based upon the latest BLS data, and the high level benefit was grandfathered at $2.56 per hour. In addition to having different benefit levels, the old high and low health and welfare benefits had different methods for determining compliance. Compliance with the low level benefit was determined on an employee-by-employee basis whereas compliance with the high level benefit was determined based upon the contractor’s average fringe benefit cost for all service employees working on the contract.
Last year, when the BLS publication of Employer Costs for Employee Compensation indicated that the low benefit rate was about to exceed the grandfathered high benefit rate of $2.56 per hour, the Wage and Hour Division announced (All Agency Memorandum Number 197) that it would increase the fringe benefit rate for all wage determinations but it would retain the two different methods for determining compliance. That policy will be continued this year. Effective June 1, 2005, the employee-by-employee benefit will be $2.87 per hour, or $114.80 per week, or $497.47 per month. Also effective June 1, 2005, the average cost fringe benefit rate will be $2.87 per hour. Consistent with the policy established in 1996 and continued last year, the average cost fringe benefit wage determinations will be issued only for those contracts where the formerly grandfathered “high" benefit rate would have applied.
Wage Determinations for the State of Hawaii
Under Section 2(a) (2) of the Service Contract Act, fringe benefit payments that are required by state law may not be used to satisfy the employer's fringe benefit obligations. In Hawaii, most employers are required by law to provide health insurance coverage for their employees. Therefore, employer contributions that are made to satisfy the employer’s obligations under the Hawaii mandated prepaid Health Care Act may not be credited toward meeting the contractor's obligations under SCA. The SCA WD's have addressed this issue in the past by excluding the health insurance portion. Currently, most Hawaii WD's specify a health and welfare benefit amount of $1.09 per hour.
Consistent with past practices, and in recognition of the fact that Hawaii law requires employers to provide health care coverage for most employees, the SCA WD's for Hawaii will continue to exclude the health insurance portion on the benefits for all employees on whose behalf the employer provides benefits pursuant to the Health Care Act. However, all employers are not required to make, in fact, do not make contributions for certain employees under the Hawaii law. If this is the case, then the reduced fringe benefit level is not appropriate for these employees.
Therefore, effective June 1, 2005, the new SCA health and welfare fringe benefits level for Hawaii will be $1.29 per hour, or $51.60 per week, or $223.60 per month for all employees on whose behalf the contractor provides health care benefits pursuant to the Hawaii Health Care Act. For those employees who are not receiving mandated health care benefits, the new health and welfare amount will be $2.87 per hour.
The grandfathered average cost fringe benefit determinations for Hawaii currently provide for payment costing an average of $1.64 per hour. Since this rate is still above the new $1.29 per hour rate for Hawaii, the current $1.64 average cost fringe benefit level for Hawaii will continue to be grandfathered.