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Security officers who protect world-renowned Amazon HQ in Seattle demand to know date of next pay raise

January 30, 2017

Despite Amazon’s record profits, the security officers who guard the successful tech giant’s headquarters in Seattle have not seen a raise in four years.

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And this month, the officers at Amazon--who are employed by the union-busting security company Security Industry Specialists (SIS)--presented their employer with a petition signed by more than 300 officers calling for raises and a fair process to form a union

"When I first became an officer at Amazon, the pay was pretty good.  But we’ve gone so long without a raise that we are barely above the minimum wage now," said Glenn Tapp. "The janitors at Amazon, who are union, always know when their next raise will be. That’s one of the main reasons I want to join the union.”

The delegation of security officers were joined by unionized janitors who clean Amazon’s massive campus and unionized security officers who protect other tech companies and properties in the region.

"I’m a security officer just a few blocks away from Amazon," said Sam Saelee, who works for Allied Universal. “I have guaranteed raises each year that I can count on. We have a union, which means we have a process to handle any problems at work. I always know someone will have my back.  And it’s why I’m here supporting these SIS officers today.”

This is the second time this month that security officers have reached out to SIS management in the hopes of resolving ongoing disputes. The prior visit demanded fair and transparent discipline practices after an officer was terminated for what he believes was religious discrimination.

Human resources for SIS received the petitions and told officers they would respond but did not give any immediate dates. "This is exactly what SIS did last month," said Tapp. “We came in good faith to solve problems and they never got back to us. But we will keep coming back and I know that we will win our union."