“If you watch movies, you see how we’re portrayed, but if you talk to people in my building, you’ll get a different outlook on what we do,” says Miles. He’s been a security officer in the Columbia Center downtown for four years. When he started, he learned quickly that what is perceived about his profession is more often than not a cultural fallacy. Instead, he sees a certain nobility in it.

“We are first responders,” he proclaims. “Maybe we don’t carry a weapon, maybe we don’t have police powers, but if anything happens, we’re first on the scene.”

John Schroeder, a security officer for 13 years, is of the same mind. “We’re trying to get a little respect,” he says.

So are the 700 other security officers in the Seattle/Bellevue area. Salaries for the position average out at $11 an hour, usually with optional, and expensive, medical benefits. Some security positions even start at minimum wage, with no potential for benefits. For the last three years, officers have been organizing via the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 6, and on March 25 they agreed on a general contract proposal that includes a base salary as well as legitimately affordable health care. Now they’re ready to take the debate to their employers.

The employers represented in this round of talks include three national companies — Allied Barton, Securitas, and ABM Security — and one local company, Northwest Protective Services. Charles Taylor, an organizer for Local 6, says that the ultimate goal is a template contract for all security companies, both national and local. None of the companies responded to requests for comment on the upcoming negotiations.

The Seattle City Council recently issued a proclamation naming April 4 “Security Officer Appreciation Day.” Although it may seem to be a gesture of solidarity with the union, City Councilmember Jean Gooden says it’s not about the negotiations.

“[Security officers] do play a critical role supporting the industry’s economy,” Gooden says. “We want people to be aware of them.”

“I’m sure the timing of [the proclamation] doesn’t hurt,” she adds. But she insists that the proclamation wasn’t carte blanche for the union from the Council. “We haven’t seen any specifics on benefits or compensation…. I hope [the officers] can negotiate well with their employers.”

Another group that supported the Appreciation Day was the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), a business association that counts most major building owners in the city, as well as security companies, as members. But BOMA hesitated when it came to endorsing the union.

“I wouldn’t say BOMA supports the unionization of security guards, but we don’t oppose it,” says Rod Kauffman, president of BOMA. “We have encouraged [security companies] to dialogue with the union, and we’ve had a friendly cooperative business relationship with Local 6.”

Kauffman says they’ve been happy to at least cooperate with the union, because they received assurances that there would be no strikes.

For their part, Local 6 is excited to head to the table, and security officers like Miles and Schroeder are itching for the chance to prove they’re worth more than the stereotype. “As security officers, we’re doing our best in order to do our job, and we’re looking for the companies to recognize that and show us the respect that we deserve,” says Miles.