A crowd of 50-60 protestors gathered on Fourth Avenue between PPG Place and Market Square last Wednesday afternoon in support of security guards’ right to unionize. 

“The rally is part of a larger effort to get building owners and security companies like Chesley Brown and U.S. Security to improve training and safety for public [and] private officers in the city’s downtown buildings,” said a press release distributed at the rally.

Chesley Brown is the security firm that employs all security guards that work in the PPG buildings, and many in attendance at the protest were guards employed by the company. 

U.S. Security, the firm Point Park recently hired, also had a number of employees at the rally, including Brian Harvey, a desk attendant who works in the Student Center on campus Monday through Friday.

“I think a union would be nice. I mean, there are things we don’t get,” Harvey said in an interview during the rally. “We don’t get the respect that we should get. We get talked down to. We have to force ourselves to come into work sick because we don’t get paid enough to take off a day.” 

Neither Highwoods Properties, who own PPG Place, nor Point Park agreed to the process of allowing security guards to form a union or implementing a uniform training process for new guards, according to Sam Williamson, Director of the Western Pa. District of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ.

But according to Lou Corsaro, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Point Park, that decision is not up to the University.

“We do not set pay levels for the security guards and they are employees of U.S. Security, so a lot of this isn’t applicable to us,” Corsaro said in an email Saturday. “We don’t hire [or] employ individual security guards; we just contract with a company that provides those services.”

Janitors working in PPG Place, who have achieved unionization, make up to $16/hour and receive fair benefits, according to Williamson.

“That’s what I make also,” Paul Griffin, an employee at One PNC Plaza who was attending the rally in support of the guards, said in an interview during the event. “Heaven knows [the security guards] deserve better than what they’re getting now. They deserve better pay; they deserve better benefits and more respect in the workplace. I know I can go in my workplace and be safe at night and it’s all because of security.”

Aside from Williamson, there were a number of speakers at the rally. Several security guards who work in PPG Place spoke, in addition to Councilwoman Deb Gross – who represents District Seven on the Pittsburgh City Council – and Darrin Kelly, a trustee of the International Association of Fire Fighters Local No. 1.

“The turnover [rate] in the security industry is as high as 300 percent,” Gross said at the rally. “That’s because of the pay…[it] is too low.” 

Both Williamson and Gross noted that Highwoods Properties and Chesley Brown are not based in Pittsburgh, which they think plays a role as to why unionization has not been achieved. 

“It’s also true that the outsourced firms are not investing in quality security training to make sure that their workers, who want to protect us, have the tools and the training and the resources that they need to do so,” Gross said. 

Kelly, who spent 13 of 15 years firefighting in Pittsburgh, urged Highwoods Properties to be “proactive, rather than reactive” during his speech to supporters, exemplifying New York City, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis. 

“Why do I mention those cities? Because each of them have standardized training for their security…professionals,” Kelly said. “Why do they have standardized training? Unfortunately, because of tragedy.”

Guards in those cities know where fire alarms are in their respective buildings, the location of any handicapped individuals and if the police or emergency medical services have been notified, according to Kelly. These are all things that he says guards lacking standardized training wouldn’t know in the event of an emergency.

Harvey noted that each building at Point Park has its own set of rules and safety procedures in case of an emergency, but does not think the new guards are familiar with those guidelines.

“[U.S. Security] brought in new people to work, but half of them don’t know what they’re doing,” Harvey, who transferred from AlliedBarton to U.S. Security to stay at Point Park, said. “The second day [under U.S. Security], I go into Academic Hall to get my keys and the guy didn’t know where the keys were at, he didn’t know where to sign in at…I know they weren’t trained properly.”

The loudest applause at the rally occurred when Gross wrapped up her speech to supporters.

“We have reinvested in the bricks and mortar. We have reinvested in businesses,” Gross said. “It’s time, now, that we reinvest in people as well.