CalMatters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization dedicated to serving the state of California.
This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, Unions representing private security guards would gain a new advantage in organizing under California legislation that would compel companies to reach labor contracts if the firms want to provide use-of-force training .
, despite their companies generating an estimated $34 billion in revenue. She said guards also are being asked to take on increasingly dangerous roles without enough training. “This bill asks us to stand up with these officers to strengthen and improve these working conditions and to ensure that across California that we are not only improving safety, but we're also helping to build a safety pathway for workers in this sector,”If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.Accelerated land movement has closed off what was once a bustling nature preserve that will never be what it once was.Some LA renters can now fall behind by two months and still be protected from eviction The new rule only applies in unincorporated parts of L.A. County. Proponents say it’ll help households weather ICE raids. Landlords say it’s unfair. The committee voted to advance her bill to the Senate Public Safety Committee which is scheduled to discuss the measure Tuesday. Security companies say the measure would add at least $1 billion to their costs each year and lead to fewer guards protecting the public.. “However, this bill goes much further than is necessary or reasonable, and we simply cannot ignore the staggering financial burden this bill will impose on our industry and, by extension, California.” There are an estimated 330,000 private security personnel in California, making the industry one of the state’s largest workforces, Smallwood-Cuevas said. California businesses and local governments are increasingly hiring guards to protect them from smash-and-grab robberies and other crimes. Security firms also will be called upon at this year’s World Cup games in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, the 2027 Super Bowl in Inglewood and the 2028 Olympics in California. The measure, according to the business committee’s analysis, would expand training standards, increase annual training for security guards and require companies to compensate guards for time spent training. It would only allow companies to provide “power to arrest” and use-of-force training if agreed to in union contracts. Those agreements would require workers to earn at least 30% above California’s The bill also would require state regulators to review and set minimum wages for security guards by 2028. Security industry officials say even a $1-an-hour raise for security workers would add $750 million to their costs each year. “SB 1203 will eliminate jobs making companies that seek to automate security functions more competitive thereby displacing the very people the bill intends to help,” David Chandler, president of the California Association of Licensed Security Agencies, Guards & Associates, wrote in a letter to lawmakers.The bill is the latest effort by labor unions to use the Legislature to pressure companies to allow unionization. The most notable recent effort was a multi-year legislative push thatAbout 20% of private security guards are unionized, according to the industry, slightly higher than the rest of the state’s workforce, in which aboutin the Legislature, due in large part to the money they spend on the political campaigns of Democratic lawmakers. Unions also deploy their networks of organizers to advocate for their chosen candidates., the bill’s sponsor, is arguably the most influential labor organization in the state. The union and its affiliates have donated at least $21.4 million to lawmakers’ campaigns since 2015, according to the CalMatters Meanwhile, 33 of the 120 members of the Legislature are current or former union members, according to a California Labor Federation tally.for a local affiliate of SEIU that unionized security officers. Her campaigns have received at least $119,100 from SEIU and its affiliates since 2021, according to Digital Democracy.The union’s political clout as well as lawmakers’ sympathies for underpaid workers doing a dangerous job was on display last week at the business and professions committee. No committee members voted against the bill.Archuleta, a former reserve officer at the Montebello Police Department, said he used to arrive at crime scenes and “sure enough, there was a security officer there,” telling police “I got your back.” Archuleta’s campaign has received at least $79,600 from SEIU and its affiliates, according to Digital Democracy., a Democrat representing the Van Nuys area, said she didn’t have a problem with the bill’s intent to raise wages for guards. After all, she said she worked for five years as a security guard. But she said she felt the bill’s training requirements were duplicative or would override a law that the Legislature had passed last year on security personnel standards and training.She said she also had concerns the requirements in the bill could end up preventing companies from hiring qualified training consultants due to restrictions limiting who’s authorized to do that work.Menjivar’s campaign has received at least $16,900 from SEIU, according to secretary of state filings. “There were provisions within SB 1203 that she liked and a hard ‘no’ vote would send the signal that there is nothing the author or sponsors can do to move her to an ‘aye’ vote down the line,” Menjivar’s spokesperson, Teodora Reyes, said in an email. You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead . Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community. Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.
Higher Pay How Much Do Security Guards Make Labor Deals Security Guards Unionized Unions Use-Of-Force Training
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bill Maher Criticizes California Democrats for Inability to Say No to AlliesBill Maher, on his HBO show Real Time, argued that Democratic leaders in California's refusal to decline their allies is a key reason the state is struggling. He specifically mentioned gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan as a Democrat he hopes won't 'wilt' when pressured to say no to groups like unions, teachers, and environmentalists.
Read more »
No, California Democrats can’t do better than thisAfter Eric Swalwell dropped out of the governor's race, people are asking if this is the best that California can do. The answer is yes.
Read more »
Swalwell scandal exposed flaws in top-two primaryCalifornia Democrats caught a huge break with Eric Swalwell’s sexual assault scandal.
Read more »
Nick Shirley confronts California Democrats over 'Stop Nick Shirley Act,' pressing on First Amendment rightsFox News Channel offers its audiences in-depth news reporting, along with opinion and analysis encompassing the principles of free people, free markets and diversity of thought, as an alternative to the left-of-center offerings of the news marketplace.
Read more »
Lagging in polls and fundraising, Betty Yee drops out of California governor’s raceCalMatters is a nonpartisan and nonprofit news organization dedicated to serving the state of California.
Read more »
California Democrats’ polling shows Republicans still lead race for governor after Swalwell’s exitXavier Becerra, though, who had been polling in the low single digits just a few weeks ago saw a surge in the latest survey.
Read more »