Allied Barton Security Guards
Summary of event on April 4, 12:00-1:00 pm. Perelman Quadrangle
To mark the anniversary of the assassination of MLK and Che Guevara, concerned citizens and people of faith are calling Penn stand in support of it Security Guards. Presently these workers face many struggles in their jobs and are deprived of labor rights such as sick leave and unionization.
Organizers include, Jobs with Justice, the student group SLAP, and NAACP. Representatives from these groups and clergy from different denominations will hand in a letter to president Gutmann in support of the Penn Guards.
Prayers and speeches will be held from 12 to 1 pm Perelman Quadrangle (34th and Spruce, between College Hall and Houston Hall). Our Rev. Bev. will be one of the pastors giving speeches during the rally.
In the tradition of King and Guevara, all who care about social, economic, and racial justice are called to come and show their support.
Rev. Bev.'s Speech
Rally Speech/Faith Vigil
Memorial event on the occasion of the assassination of MLK & Cesar Chavez
On behalf of Worker Justice
Rev Dr. Beverly Dale
It is a sad day when we remember those who have been prophets in our midst who are now gone but who fearlessly called us to justice for the workers. It is a sad day that years and decades after they are gone it is still business-as-usual all around the world. But the downsizing and the outsourcing of the post-modern corporations that usually lead to higher stock prices and exorbitant CEO salaries and benefits usually leads to less well-paying jobs with benefits for the average worker.
It is a sad day because it is still business –as-usual here at Penn.
It is a sad day when workers’ rights and workers’ benefits are not translated into the bottom line of most corporations. It is a sad day because it is still business-as-usual here at Penn. And our Penn security guards’ concerns are still being trivialized and too-often ignored.
It is a sad day when, in the midst of academic brilliance and cutting edge technological research, this institution with its fine international reputation for excellence still can’t assure its security guards will have a decent enough salary to be able to afford health care for their families or enjoy holiday pay.
But these are really sick days when Amy Guttman and Ron Perelman cannot assure the workers of at least three sick days.
And so, here in our midst are the workers who lose again. They are the working poor. Here. On Penn’s campus. In the midst of all this wealth. On this campus with a huge endowment security workers can’t afford a doctor, can’t afford not to work if they are sick. They can’t afford to get sick because there is nothing and no one to catch them and hold them until they are well. There is no safety net for the Penn guards.
But I am a Christian pastor and I know that we ignore the cries of those who are oppressed at our spiritual peril.
“Cursed is the (one) who withholds justice” says the God of Deuteronomy (27:18)
“I will be quick to testify against …those who defraud laborers of their wages…” says the God of Malachi (3:5)
And in Isaiah, the scriptures are clear about the judgment of God when God says “you do as we please and exploit all your workers.” (58:3)
Economic justice is a main concern of the God of the Hebrew texts, concern for those on the bottom just trying to get by whether they are widows or orphans or immigrants or those struggling hard to make ends meet. These are the ones whose cries catch the ear of God.
It is truly a self-centered and self-absorbed society that allows the powerful to live in luxury while denying the laborers in their employ the basic benefits that will help them put food on the table and a roof over their heads.
I spoke last week to a student from South America. I asked him “What was your biggest surprise in moving to Penn?” And he said, “I was surprised to see that most all the workers in the service industry at Penn are people of color and those in positions of power are white. I just didn’t expect that kind of segregation.”
Indeed, wouldn’t the white Penn community be scandalized at the treatment of the Penn guards if the majority of them were white? Wouldn’t we be mobilizing to lift up the burdens of these working poor who, if they were luck, might get one or two days a year sick pay?
Wouldn’t we say, “This is no way to treat our brothers and sisters?”
Wouldn’t we say, “Just as this is a proud, elite institution so we want our security guards to be treated in a way that reflects they are valued and a part of us?”
Because if the white community doesn’t say this, we are indeed racist by our inaction and our inattention.
The black brother sitting at the security desk of a research lab deserves justice- fair wages, adequate benefits and why not 5 sick days a year?
The black sister covering dorm security with three children at home and who is working overtime to make ends meet deserves justice-fair wages, adequate benefits and why not at least 5 sick days a year?
There are 16,000 Allied Barton security guards in this city who are experiencing this squeeze that is brought on by either benign neglect and ignorance at best or greed and racism at its worst.
So, the Penn community has an opportunity to set the standards higher-standards that reflect a concern for the well-being of everyone in our community. All that is needed is the will to do so.
All that is needed is a vision of justice
All that is needed is to remember the voices that call us to economic justice…whether it is King, Chavez, Malachi, Isaiah or Jesus. May we be faithful in our response.
April 4, 2007
Copyright © 2007. Rev. Beverly Dale. All Rights Reserved
