DPS Public Safety Officers Protest Outsourcing and Alleged “Double-Cross” By Teamsters Local 214
By Lance McGhee
On Monday July 19, Detroit Public School’s Public Safety Officers picketed against their own union, Teamsters Local 214, alleging that their union misrepresented them during negotiations which will lead to their jobs being outsourced to the private security firm Securitas this September.
To the chants of “AYYY YOOO, 214 Has Got To Go…,” disenchanted officers marched back and forth in front of the Teamsters Local 214 union hall located at 2825 Trumbull.“Those cowards sold us out,” was the sentiment of Lawrence Edmundson, a ten year veteran public safety officer for DPS. Officer Denise Grier, an eighteen year veteran public safety officer stands by the action of the members. “We had to plan a protest to get the union off their butts,” she said.
Currently, some Local 214 officers are in the process of seceding from Teamsters Local 214 to the Michigan Association of Police; where they feel they will be better represented. However, members must get approval from the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) before they can officially be a part of MAP.
During this transition, officers accuse Local 214 of failing to provide them proper representation while still collecting union dues from them. Members also accuse the Teamsters of trying to absorb the contracted Securitas guards into their union which they feel is a conflict of interest.
David Sutton, Business Representative for Teamsters Local 214 insists that the union has done everything within its power to fight for the jobs of the officers. When asked about attempting to “double-dip” on union dues for the contracted Securitas officers and DPS public safety officers, Mr. Sutton refused to comment.
According to Donnell Reed, representative for MAP, legally, the Teamsters Local 214 is still the official bargaining agent for the disgruntled members. “All unions have a duty or obligation to do everything they can to represent their membership,” said Reed.
Reed indicated that he personally read a communication signed by Joe Valenti, Vice-President of Local 214, stating that Local 214 approached the DPS school district about submitting a bid for the jobs of the officers. “I don’t know if it was factual or not,” he said.
Many attempts were made to contact Joe Valenti for comment on the matter but were un-successful.
Officers also expressed much concern over the professionalism of the Securitas team and the ability to secure DPS schools plagued with violence. Some like Officer Grier believe that Bobb’s plan to implement Securitas is an attempt to save money at the student’s expense. “Why is it that Bobb has DPS officers guarding him, but allows Securitas to protect our children,” said Officer Grier.
Officers insist that the rapport that they have established with the students of DPS allows them to prevent incidents and know who the troublemakers are. They also expressed concern that the brevity of training that Securitas guards in comparison to the amount of training DPS officers receive will also have a negative impact on the schools this September.
Securitas hourly guards only undergo 49 hours of training prior to working in schools. They have no arrest powers and or not allowed to carry weapons.DPS officers undergo 8 weeks of police-style training and are trained extensively in conflict resolution, defense, and also undergo some first-aid training.
On Jan.22 of this year, a Caucasian Securitas officer assaulted an African-American transfer student from Minnesota with pepper-spray at Mumford High School. In the January incident, student Tremayne Johnson was maced and handcuffed to a chair for two hours before his parents were contacted.
Thirty-two other students were also affected by the dispersal of the pepper-spray. Three students needed medical attention. When Principal Anthony Houston was asked in March what actions could be taken to prevent such attacks, Houston replied, “It will take time for the new security team to get to know the students.”
There are currently lawsuits pending against the district stemming from the Jan. 22 assault. As schools continue to close and class rooms become more crowded with students of rival schools, DPS officers fear that the safety of the students and staff are at risk under the watch of Securitas.
If you have any questions regarding this story, feel free to contact me at lmcgheeii@aol.com. Or call me at 313-799-1886.