SECURITY GUARDS PROTECTING LABOR DAY FESTIVAL ARE TARGETED BY THEIR EMPLOYER FOR JOINING UNION RALLY TODAY

Shifts Slashed After Election Filing

Delaware River Waterfront Corporation managers announced this week that they will slash work hours and change the shifts of the six security guards that work for the company. The cuts and changes come days after the workers filed for a union recognition election with the National Labor Relations Board.

“These changes came after our manager told us all how disappointed they were that we decided to form a union with the Philadelphia Security Officers Union,” says James Walsh, a guard for 15 months at the site.

“All of us have second jobs and family arrangements that make it impossible to have our schedules changed. These changes were instituted to force us to quit or to give them an excuse to fire us,” says Walsh.

The guards began organizing due to the lack of training, dangerous working conditions, low wages and the lack of healthcare.

“I haven’t gotten a raise in the four years that I have worked here,” says Luis Parilla.

Parilla also states that the changes will lead to hardship, “My whole family is pitching in to make it through. We make our schedules around our grand kids and each others jobs. They cut me back to three days per week. I can’t make it on that.”

The union has filed unfair labor practice complaints with the National Labor Relations Board and is also trying to get an injunction to prevent the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation from using the changes to end the union drive.

They will rally today, September 6th at 12:00 noon outside of the AFL-CIO Labor Day celebration at the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing at the east end of Chestnut St.