TO: HONORABLE MAYOR FROM: Councilmember Bien Doan
AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: SEE BELOW DATE: 2/14/2023
Approved Date 2/13/2023
SUBJECT: REPORT ON REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR CITYWIDE SECURITY
GUARD SERVICES
RECOMMENDATION
Accept and approve the staff memorandum for item 3.4.
BACKGROUND
My office met with SEIU and Good Guard on this matter. The meeting with Good Guard took place on February 9, 2023 via Zoom at City Hall and was setup by the San José Assistant Director of Finance and Administration, Luz Cofresi-Howe. We met with the Shawn Helmandi, Senior Director with Good Guard Security, Inc.
Below is a recap of that meeting by Shawn Helmandi which he sent via email to the City:
I hope this email finds you well. Per our conversation on Thursday, February 9, I wanted to provide assurance of the following:
First, Good Guard Security is grateful for the opportunity to serve the San Jose community. The awarded contract carries with it a tremendous responsibility to perform, provide safety in each assigned area and equally as important to care and provide for our staff. We are committed to these core essentials.
Second, as it relates to prevailing wage, matching 401K retirement plans, medical insurance and supervisors' wages (the basic Union requests which are not unduly burdensome)--we are committed to meeting these demands. We also have supervisors whom we pay a higher hourly wage than the prevailing minimum. We only have one simple request.
Our proposal had an hourly rate range between $31.00 and $39.00. Meaning, there is a discretionary range for a situation much like this one where, more than in an ordinary security guard engagement, there appear to be many positions of responsibility that COUNCIL AGENDA: 2/14/2023
ITEM: 3.4
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
February 14, 2023
Subject: REPORT ON REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR CITYWIDE SECURITY GUARD SERVICES
exceed what, as an example, a contract with a homeless service provider would call for.
Therefore, we believe that we can honor the (1) past hourly rates from the previous vendor and to make certain the Good Guard staff (2) receives medical coverage (at an approximate addition of, according to the Union, $3.00 per hour per employee), if between 50 to 60 percent of our staff is paid within the upward range of the approved pay scale. Billing the city for the higher bill category of $39.34 for PC 832 officers will allow is to also provide all current officers with a higher level of training than most of them currently have. We believe we can honor the union, accept all of their terms, make certain their workers are properly protected and compensated and look forward to a long relationship with the Union and the city of San Jose all the while staying within the financial parameters of our contract.
One final thing. As it relates to the retention of the current workforce, if they perform over a 90 days period we would be more than happy to avoid "retraining" and "repositioning" personnel to take their places. In other words, the more qualified people we inherit, the more grateful we are. There is not now nor has the ever been a desire to replace, after 90 days, any worker that is serving the San Jose community by their excellence in job performance. I hope this makes sense.
SUMMARY
Good Guard Security Inc. has agreed to:
1. keep the current workforce in place,
2. pay current wages or better,
3. provide the same or similar benefits to what the current employees are getting.
Staff has performed a robust search and analysis for the awarding of this contract and the City Council should accept the staff recommendation.
The signer(s) of this memorandum have not had, and will not have, any private conversation with any other member of the City Council, or that member’s staff, concerning any action discussed in the memorandum, and that each signer’s staff members have not had, and have been instructed not to have, any such conversation with any other member of the City Council or that member's staff.