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Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Local 615
Challenge
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 615 sought a grassroots campaign to unionize Boston-area security officers employed by private organizations. There are between 4,000 and 5,000 security officers in Greater Boston working in high-rise office buildings and on college campuses. Many of these officers do not receive adequate training, are underpaid and without adequate healthcare benefits. Organizing security officers presented a challenge for Local 615 as they often work alone and are scattered throughout institutions.
Local 615 hired O’Neill and Associates to develop a strong message and media relations campaign to further increase public awareness and support. Given the fear of many isolated security officers that they might be targeted by their employers if they unionize, Local 615 needed a different campaign that would provide a way for groups of security officers to rally together and feel protected.
Solution
Before launching any type of outreach efforts, O’Neill and Associates held a strategic planning and message development workshop with Local 615 to develop the succinct talking points about the security officers’ situation. O’Neill and Associates developed compelling messages that spoke directly and passionately to the unfair working conditions of the security officers. Additionally, O’Neill and Associates worked with the union to identify officers who could speak publicly about their stories and provide a face to the effort.
O’Neill and Associates developed the message as a “call to action” to both the general public and leaders, emphasizing that improving security officers’ conditions would bring economic benefits to emerging communities in Greater Boston’s poorer neighborhoods. Additionally, the message focused on the public security risk caused by poor training and high turnover. O’Neill and Associates worked with Local 615 to cultivate supporters, including political, civic, and religious leaders who would be willing to speak to the media about the need for a living wage as well as the need for better security in our cities. O’Neill and Associates also provided security guards with media training and speech coaching so they could advocate effectively for the cause.
With a clear message and spokespersons in place, O’Neill and Associates began targeting key reporters and columnists to educate them about the security officers’ plight. O’Neill and Associates organized a press conference to provide Local 615 with an opportunity to announce their campaign to the Boston public at large, including drafting all relevant speeches, talking points, advisories, and press releases as well as pitching the media before, after and during the event.
Results
In forming a clear, compelling message, O’Neill and Associates helped Local 615 bring the issues faced by security officers to Boston’s general public and influential leaders. After the highly publicized press conference, the client was thrilled with the coverage, which included stories on the front page of the Boston Globe’s Metro Region section as well as in the Boston Herald, the Boston Metro, the Bay State Banner, and the area’s Spanish-language press. Union leaders displayed the Globe feature at the rally to demonstrate to hesitant security officers that support was growing for their side. O’Neill and Associates continues to provide communications services to SEIU Local 615.
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