Who Can Make The Changes That We Need?
Reform the Philadelphia Museum of Art : Reform Allied Barton
The contemporary US economy is often referred to as the “service”
economy. The jobs in the service sector such as private security, janitorial,
food service and retail share some common attributes. The jobs in this
growing sector have low wages, no health care or paid sick leave and offer
few opportunities.
Unions have always made addressing these issues their central focus. Unions
turned low wage jobs in auto plants, garment factories and light manufacturing
facilities into middle-class jobs through organizing.
Workers in the new economy, though, have more difficulty than their predecessors.
Many workers are sub-contracted, part-time or "temporary." Sub-contracting
gives the client the ability to ignore exploitation.
For example, Temple University used to employ all of their security
guards. These workers made living wages, had good health care and could
send their children to Temple free of charge. During some restructuring
in the Liacouras administration, all of the guards were summarily fired
and rehired under a sub-contract. The guards that remained as part-time
workers saw their pay and benefits cut and they lost the tuition privilege.
Today, security guards at Temple University cannot afford to send their
children to the university.
AlliedBarton, is the security company at Temple University. Until recently,
Ronald Perelman owned AlliedBarton. Ronald Perelman, his close affiliates
and family, are major donors to institutions with whom he had contracts,
including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Temple University and the University
of Pennsylvania. For example, Howard Gittis, was major donor at Temple
University, and was the chairman of Perelman’s investment company,
MacAndrews and Forbes until is death in 2007. (To learn more about
the donations and business ties, click the links at the bottom of the
page)
Both the clients and the security companies bear the responsibility
for the way that the workers are treated. However, when clients like the
Philadelphia Museum of Art and Temple University receive major donations
from Ronald Perelman, his affiliate organizations or his immediate family
they have little incentive to speak up for the workers that protect them
every day.
Reform the Clients
The clients of the security companies bear some of the responsibility
for the wellbeing of these workers. When a client, such as the Philadelphia
Museum of Art, enters into a contract with AlliedBarton, they set criteria
stating that they want the guards to get certain levels of training, what
pay package the guards receive and, in the case of University of Pennsylvania,
even what age guards must be to work on site. Clients need to make paid-sick
leave a part of their contractual agreement with AlliedBarton.
Clients such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art should expect, sub-contractors
to meet at least minimum human rights standards; the right to take the
day off and get well or take care of your sick family members without
losing a days wage.
The University of Pennsylvania and Temple University have already started
to acknowledge their role in improving the wages and benefits of workers.
For example, after student and worker protests, in February 2008, the
University of Pennsylvania raised security guard wages by nearly 50% up
to $15/hour and now give guards up to five days of paid sick-leave. Temple
changed their package with AlliedBarton this year to include paid sick
leave for the guard.
Learn more here…
New
Benefits For Local Alliedbarton Guards, Daily Pennsylvania
Crucial
Victory For Activists, Guards Win Paid Sick Days
Philadelphia Museum of Art: Using Your Tax Money To Harm Workers?
Over the last decade Philadelphians have given the museum more than $10
million dollars in tax generated money and many millions more in donated
facilities. Despite this, the museum lets the security guards be the only
people working on the property without any paid sick leave.
“We are forced to work when we are ill. We are forced to leave
our sick children without our care and come to work. We are forced to
perform our job impaired by over-the-counter medication. Poor people like
us cannot afford to miss work if it means not getting paid.” PMA
security Guard
TAKE ACTION –
1. Sign our the online petition
2. Mobilize
Prayer on August 31
3. Visit the PMA on September 7 and wear a Support Sticker STICKER
IMAGE
4. Attend “Blessing of the Hands Ceremony” at
the PMA on September 7
Reform AlliedBarton
Allied Barton enjoys virtual monopoly status in Philadelphia. We estimate
that 60% of the guards in downtown Philadelphia wear an AlliedBarton badge.
AlliedBarton claims to meet all industry standards for pay and wages.
AllieBarton IS the industry in our city. AlliedBarton SETS the standard.
AlliedBarton should take the lead for human rights for thousands of
black families and 1) DELETED WORDS Let no security officer in his employ
in Philadelphia go without paid sick leave 2) Pay workers family-sustaining
wages.
These links provide more information...
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Raymond
and Ruth Perelman made an unrestricted gift of $15 million to the Philadelphia
Museum of Art
AlliedBarton
Makes $19,000 - $24,999 Donation To PMA
Your Tax Money and PMA
The PMA spends $3.7 Millions on security. The City of Philadelphia’s
yearly contribution to the PMA ($2.25 Million) pays more than half of
that expense
Philadelphia
Budget 2007 (see page 73)
Philadelphia
Museum of Art (see page 9)
Maybe we move the stuff below this line to a different page, archive?
Temple University
Student
Center Renamed To Honor Gittis
Howard
Gittis, 73; Longtime Adviser to Billionaire Investor
Gittis
Endows Perelman Chair
The University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is one of AlliedBarton’s largest
institutional contracts
Ronald
Perelman make $20 Million Donation for Perelman Quad
Raymond
and Ruth Perelman Donate $25 Million to Name PENN Medicine’s Center
for Advanced Medicine
Why we need to improve the industry-
What
the universities spend on security
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