Guard issues all over the news

A lot of talk about guards in the news lately. I just read this article that security guards at the Philadelphia Museum of Art have won their two-year long struggle to unionize.

Museum guards signed union authorization cards in November 2008, but couldn’t find a union willing to stand up to their employer—security industry giant AlliedBarton—to help them fight for recognition as a bargaining group. (Under the federal National Labor Relations Act, security guards are prevented from joining most labor unions.)

While guards  won the battle to unionize, they still have to negotiate a contract with their employer, AlliedBarton. I just put out a few calls to AlliedBarton to see what they have to say, but I think there's definitely a benefits for both sides to unionize. I'm sure guard companies would have to spend more money per guard in a union situation, but at the same time, it would likely lead to far less turnover and aid in professionalizing the industry as a whole, which would attract higher quality applicants, right? I'll let you know what they say.

And, because reality TV has no boundaries, a new show premiering on TLC will feature the life of mall security guards.

"Mall Cops: Mall of America" follows the daily routines of dozens of officers on the MOA's security force, following them as they respond to calls, provide security for celebrities and deal with the daily work of mall security.

Sounds exciting. The series premiers Thursday night at 9pm on TLC, and is scheduled to run through December. Too bad I still don't have cable.

This sorta reminds me of that DHS television series: “Homeland Security: USA” that debuted ran back in January.  I forget, how did that fare?