Complaint Review: Corporate Security Solutions - CSS USA - San Antonio Texas

In December 2008, I applied and interviewed with CSS USA (Corporate Security Solutions). During the interview, one of the interviewers told me they have a great benefits package which was required by SAWS (San Antonio Water System) in order for them to get the contract. CSS USA is a contract security company. I was called back to start training with them. After the week of training, the operations manager (Sishman Rimpson) had informed our class that SAWS required that they give a certain percentage of their employees to a minority owned company. A few days later when we were picking up our uniforms, Mr. Rimpson called the names of 8 employees who were to go under Blue Armor Security and I was one of them. We weren't given a choice. We had already filled out an application with CSS and some of us signed up for their benefits; but we were told to fill out an application for Blue Armor and we were not given paperwork to sign-up for insurance with them. I assumed that we would still be getting insurance after 90 days like CSS had promised us because Mr. Rimpson said everything would be exactly the same except that our checks would come from Blue Armor. Blue Armor employees work at the same locations, under the same contract, we do the same type of work, we get the same hourly wage, and wear the same uniforms as CSS employees. Most, if not all, of us are full-time, permanent employees; we even clock-in through the CSS system. We report to CSS supervisors who have the power to discipline and fire us; we really only contact Blue Armor for pay issues. Most of us started January 1, 2009 and CSS employees started getting their insurance cards in the mail on March 29, 2009. Another employee under Blue Armor informed me that he had asked Mr. Rimpson about our benefits and he said that they are trying to get it straightened out; but Blue Armor is avoiding them. That same employee said he called Blue Armor's payroll office and they told him that Blue Armor didn't offer benefits because they are a small company. I personally called CSS Lt. Ayala in the beginning of April and he told me that they would contact us when they get an answer, I am still waiting to hear from him. A few days after contacting Ayala, I called Blue Armor's owner, William Ng., and he said that he didn't know that CSS was already giving their employees benefits and no one from CSS had tried to contact him. He said that Blue Armor does have benefits; but they usually wait longer than 90 days to offer them. Since CSS employees were already getting their insurance cards, he said that he would try to get us benefits sooner. Mr. Ng told me that in a couple of weeks, he would get all of us together so an insurance agent could talk to us and that we should be getting information in the mail. Well two weeks later, we got an AFLAC brochure which looked like a solicitation for their individual insurance policies. Also, AFLAC's website says that they do not provide full medical coverage (possibly meaning prescriptions, doctor's visits, etc.). It wasn't a form to sign-up for anything, it just asked for your name and address and which policies you were interested in so they could send you the details and rates. I had left Mr. Ng a message asking what was the point of that brochure and he sent me a text message saying it was just to show us what AFLAC had to offer and he said we should be expecting a letter soon giving us a date and time to meet with an insurance agent. I've worked for several companies before and they just sent their employees a packet explaining the coverage and costs with a form to sign-up. It has been two more weeks since Mr. Ng sent me that text message and we still haven't been offered benefits; it is now the beginning of May. I'm starting to think that Blue Armor didn't have an insurance provider to begin with and they are trying to stall until they can get one. Even if we do finally get benefits, we had to wait longer for them. Since Blue Armor is significantly smaller than CSS USA, I am thinking that our rates may be higher too; all of this is not fair and very unethical. It was extremely deceptive of CSS to advertise a job and hire people under CSS just to switch them over to another company afterwards. I had no intentions of applying or working for Blue Armor. Also, Mr. Ng said that Mr. Rimpson should have explained to us the differences beforehand and that we may have been misled a little.

CSS USA

3201 Cherry Ridge Dr

San Antonio, TX 78230

(210) 525-9546

Blue Armor Security

11503 Jones Maltsberger Rd

San Antonio, TX 78216

(210) 326-7624

M

San Antonio, Texas

U.S.A.