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With the Liberty Bell as backdrop, Wackenhut Corporation workers joined by U.S. Representatives Chaka Fattah and Patrick Murphy on May 19, launched a national organising committee to demand freedom to organise and safety on the job. Nearly 40,000 Wackenhut officers guard public and private facilities including Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, Chicago’s Columbia College, Miami-Dade’s tri-county rail system, federal nuclear materials sites and Bank of America sites nationwide.



Miami-Dade Metro Rail officer Alberto Zerpa said: “When I was an MP (military police) in Afghanistan, safety was a priority. That’s how I’d like to work now, but Wackenhut makes that very difficult. That’s why I’m here today.”



Independence National Historic Park Custom Protection Officer Charlie Wilson explained: “I am a diabetic and we receive no healthcare benefits. When we get sick we often work anyway, because we can’t afford to lose our jobs or to go without pay.”



Richard Dieterle also spoke. He was hired by Wackenhut to guard Wells Fargo Home Mortgage in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After presenting union cards signed by a majority of workers, Dieterle was fired. The National Labor Relations Board has scheduled a July hearing for an Unfair Labor Practice Charge for Deiterle.



Since Wackenhut has hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts, Congressman Chakah Fattah commented: “Congress has to do more on this. We have to be sure that when companies have federal contracts, they treat their workers fairly. Congressman Murphy said, “We have veterans here who fought in Viet Nam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. They are asking for rights we all deserve, including the right to organise.”



U.S. workers, who will soon meet with G4S workers in Europe, will visit local Wackenhut organising efforts to engage community support. G4S workers sent a letter of support for combined organising efforts. Wackenhut–a wholly owned subsidiary of the giant London-based G4S, has been investigated by congress and was recently found liable for millions in taxpayer fraud by a Miami-Dade County audit.



SEIU, the fastest growing union in North America, represents 25,000 security officers nationwide.



Leaders from UNI-affiliated unions, and members of the Alliance for Justice at G4S, sent a solidarity message to the new Wackenhut organising committee, which is attached here.