SAN FRANCISCO -- Members of the Service Employees International Union Local 24/7, which represents some 6,000 private security officers in the Bay Area, overwhelmingly voted today to authorize union leadership to call an unfair labor practice strike at any time.

About 90 percent of the votes were in favor of giving union leaders the authority to call an unfair labor practice strike at any time, SEIU Local 24/7 spokeswoman Gina Bowers reported.

Approximately 200 members who attended a regularly scheduled meeting today in San Francisco took part in the vote, which came in the wake of union claims that companies that employ the security officers are restricting their freedom of speech.

At a press conference Monday in San Francisco, security officers were joined by police officers, firefighters and paramedics who together "exposed a weak link in public safety," Bowers said, adding that security officers are "underpaid and underprepared."

"When security officers spoke out, the companies that employ them are now illegally attempting to restrict their free speech," Bowers said. "They're saying that security officers can't talk to tenants and building owners about matters of public safety (and) can't take part in raising awareness about public safety in San Francisco."

Bowers said the restrictions set by security companies such as ABM Security Services, Securitas Security Services USA, Inc., and Universal Protection Service are "illegal" and that "everyone in San Francisco deserves to know about matters pertaining to public safety."

As far as how the companies are allegedly restricting the security officers' free speech, Bowers did not give examples, but said the union is collecting information and preparing to file unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board in the next few days.

Universal Protective Service officials today declined to release a statement on the situation. A dispatcher with ABM Security Services said representatives would not be available for comment until Monday. A message left for a Securitas Security Services representative was not returned.