The officers in Cincinnati, who are paid as little as $8 an hour, were joined by officers from ten other cities--including Denver, Minneapolis, Portland, Boston, Sacramento, Silicon Valley, Chicago, New York, Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Stockholm, Sweden. Together they attempted to deliver a letter urging Securitas to follow its own Code of Conduct and the global agreement that the company has signed onto, which allow officers the freedom to form a union in order to bring good jobs and enhanced security services to their communities.

This was the third time Cincinnati officers had visited the office to formally ask for cooperation from the company. After several minutes of keeping their door locked, Securitas Management finally opened the office, but refused to listen to any of the officers--including members of the company's own Board of Directors and the Swedish Transport Workers Union who had traveled from Stockholm to observe Securitas officers' conditions in the United States. They were shocked at what they saw.

Watch the encounter here:

After being refused a chance to speak and having the door literally slammed in their faces, officers and community allies pushed an enlarged copy of a letter under the office door. The letter simply reminded the company of its own Code of Conduct and a Global Agreement that they have with Union Network International. Under terms of the agreement Securitas pledged to work cooperatively with its employees to ensure the workers' freedom to form a union.

Watch the reactions of members of the Swedish Transport Workers' Union and a member of the company's own Board of Directors:

"Cincinnati is struggling with poverty, foreclosures and unemployment," said Melvin Tuggle, Cincinnati security officer. "The city needs good jobs, and Cincinnati will benefit from us coming together to form a union. Janitors have already proved that this can be done, showing us how the quality of an entire industry can improve when we take a stand together like this."

Cincinnati security officers hope that the company will stand by its own Code of Conduct, where it states that "Ethical conduct is good business." In the Code, Securitas acknowledges its leadership in the industry, and accepts "far-reaching responsibilities towards the countries and communities in which it operates." One of these responsibilities is to develop the entire industry through a "goal of raising standards and wages" industry-wide, not only in cooperation with trade organizations and unions, but through respecting the right of all of its employees to form and join trade unions.

Securitas officers in cities across North America are standing together to form unions in order to raise industry standards.

Editor's Note: This post was updated at 6:45 PM EDT to include video from yesterday's events.

Like suburban security officers at seven companies who are now conducting a majority sign-up election, the Block by Block Downtown Ambassadors work for a firm that agreed to be neutral during the organizing campaign.

The workers' new contract became effective July 1. SEIU President Javier Morillo-Alicea reported that the contract "equaled or improved the standard of both our security contract and our cleaning contract." Workers with one year of service saw their pay increase from $11.50 per hour to $13.22 per hour. "Workers who got significant raises were quite happy," Morillo-Alicea noted.

Block by Block was contracted by the Downtown Improvement District to help raise the quality of life in the city.

Downtown Ambassadors, like security officers, help the public and keep people safe. These new union members pick up litter, direct visitors and provide a safer downtown. "Our mission is to make downtown a safer, cleaner environment for everybody," said Michael Jacques, St. Louis Park.

Michael clearly relishes his work as he patrols the streets of downtown Minneapolis: "You're making a positive influence in people's lives."

As a new union member, Michael also relishes the new lessons that come with power in the workplace. "Now we've got to learn to work together as a union and company," said Michael, who helped negotiate the contract and now serves as a union steward.

This fall, he will be standing with suburban security officers who are conducting a majority sign-up election.

Read more about Block by Block in an article by Steve Share at Workday Minnesota.

Photo credit: Sam Mukherjee, Minneapolis Labor Review

Click here to receive Twin Cities email updates from SEIU Local 26.

The contractor, U.S. Security, has repeatedly been fined by the District of Columbia for violating security and contract requirements this year, and failed drills to detect weapons in city buildings. Yet the company still remains the contractor at more than 76 schools and municipal buildings throughout the city, leaving residents and Council members wondering why.

Fox 5 News reports that the D.C. City Council has lost all confidence in the firm, citing that investigators were able to penetrate security at schools and government buildings by slipping weapons past guards undetected, and has faced other serious problems:

In a letter to the District's Chief Procurement Officer, the council members complain U.S. Security Associates has, "a history of questionable conduct and discrimination complaints, including two lawsuits by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, a recent $2.5 million jury verdict for sexual harassment and retaliation, as well as sizeable wage and hour litigation."

In an interview at the Wilson Building Tuesday, Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser told FOX 5, "We want to make sure that the types of security that's provided in our buildings is the best of the best, so we want to make sure that agencies, just like other contracts, have in place qualified companies to protect our citizens in the District."

Washington has already paid the price of poor security in the past. Last year, security contractor Hawk One was fired, "after a four-year record of poor supervision, inadequate training, ineffectiveness and 'fraternizing with students," according to the Washington City Paper.

D.C. Attorney General Peter Nickles is now conducting a review of U.S. Security and its contract with the city. D.C. taxpayers pay U.S. Security more than $40 million a year to protect local schools and city buildings.

U.S. Security's record is alarming to members of SEIU Local 32BJ, who have been working for years with responsible security contractors and elected officials to enhance training, raise industry standards and improve life for security officers. 32BJ has called on Mayor Adrian Fenty to end the irresponsible contract and stop skirting his responsibility in putting D.C. first.

After the failed tests, The Washington Post reports, U.S. Security sent a memo to its 300 officers in the District, threatening to fire those who did not do their jobs. But the current contract ends in September, and many are hoping it won't be renewed by Mayor Fenty's administration.

As the Washington City Paper put it, "With security contractors like these, who needs criminals?"

It seems that the global giant might be a tad rusty on its own international guidelines.

Meet Ken Parkison, a Securitas officer at the USBank processing center in Denver. A United States veteran, Ken has worked in the security industry for nearly 20 years, the past eight with Securitas. Armed with a degree in criminal justice, Ken had never received a write-up--or any other disciplinary action--from his employer.

Ken has always been helpful to those he serves and those he works with. When Securitas stopped issuing pay stubs, for example, Ken used his own laptop computer to help coworkers check for payroll information on-line during breaks.

In April Securitas officers in Denver started forming a union in order to bring good jobs and more effective security to the city. Ken quickly joined the effort. "I've worked in both management and as an officer," Ken says. "I know from both sides that the security industry has got to change."

Ken started attending meetings with officers supportive of the union and also signed up officers on union cards at their houses and workplaces. He did not hide his support of his union from anyone, not even his supervisor, to whom he gave a pro-union leaflet in person.

On July 6, Ken was fired.

Securitas told Ken they let him go because he used his computer at work. Indeed the company released a memo on June 21 banning electronics at the site. So Ken, wanting to comply with the new company policy, stopped all use of his computer immediately. Securitas fired him anyway.

Ken believes that he was fired for his support of his union. The National Labor Relations Board is now investigating.

Meanwhile Ken should get his job back. It's right, it's fair, and it's company policy.

As a refresher course -- a refresher course on company policy, of course -- Ken's security officer friends are planning a national week of action. Stay tuned.

Now more than 4,000 Securitas officers are forming a union with SEIU in Halifax (Nova Scotia), Boston, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, Denver, Sacramento, Silicon Valley and Portland. Will Securitas keep its word?

In mid-July Securitas officers and community supporters in eight cities delivered a petition to local Securitas managers urging the company to fulfill its promise. Some managers took the petition, some did not, and some got angry. No Securitas manager, however, said the company would follow the agreement.

Across North America security industry standards--including wages, benefits, and regular training--are notoriously low. In this time of economic recession, the needs of our cities are at an all-time high. As a global giant--with $8.2 billion in sales and $278 million in profit in 2009--Securitas can do better by our communities.