Philadelphia, PA – On Thursday, September 30th, Philadelphia Councilman Mark Squilla and Councilwoman Jaime Gautier, Pennsylvania StateRepresentatives Danilo Burgos, Morgan Cephas and Joseph Hohenstein will join federal security officers when they walk off the job on strike outside of Philadelphia IRS offices against their employer, Homeland Security contractor Triple Canopy, Inc. (a division of Constellis, the previously disgraced federal contractor Blackwater) over demands that the company:
- End religious and medical condition discrimination regarding shaving and beards, including;
- Removing all disciplines related to beard/shaving for workers exempt by religion or health condition; and
- Implementing permanent shaving waivers for health conditions (as to be determined by a medical professional) or for religious reasons (Muslims, etc.);
- Reinstate medical insurance for all workers dropped during the pandemic;
- Create immediate wage parity for newly hired security officers
“The project manager gave me a hard time due to the fact that I’m Muslim,” said Losseni Karamoko, a Triple Canopy employed federal security officer. “I felt discrimination to the point I was getting written up [for my beard] every week, even though I was giving him every document he requested from me.”
“I am on strike to demand that Triple Canopy reinstate every officer they dropped off of the healthcare plan,” said Dewitt Vallery, a Triple Canopy officer at the NIX Building with 22 years on the job, who’s been without the company insurance for a year. “My knees are bone-on-bone and give me a lot of pain. I was also diagnosed with arthritis from my neck down. When there’s so much pain, you have to see a doctor for help.”
Councilwoman Cherelle Parker will introduce a resolution on Thursday condemning Triple Canopy’s alleged actions against workers including “promoting an atmosphere of harassment by demanding workers prove their religion and chronic medical conditions every four months” to keep their facial hair. The majority Black and Latino workforce of nearly 250, who protect the IRS, Social Security offices, federal courts, immigration, FEMA and customs house offices says they receive write-ups that escalate to termination of employment.
“Government contractors must be held to the highest standard of workplace conduct,” said Councilwoman Parker. “We will not stand by as a government contractor intimidates workers in direct violation of Philadelphia law. Parker spearheaded the Philadelphia CROWN Act (Bill #200252), which became law in November 2020. The law clarifies that unlawful discrimination on the basis of race includes discrimination based on characteristics commonly associated with race, such as hair texture and hairstyles.
With 175,000 members in eleven states and Washington, D.C., including 22,000 in Pennsylvania, 32BJ SEIU is the largest property service workers union in the country.
