Local briefs

with canine program

The Burlingame Police Department is asking for donations from the community to maintain its canine program.

According to the Police Department, $12,000 is needed for a police service dog, related equipment, training and maintenance, but that money is not a part of the department’s budget for 2007-2008.

Police dogs help to track and detect criminal suspects, as well as narcotics, explosive devices and discarded articles used in criminal offenses.

Donations can be made to the "Burlingame Police Department K9 Fund” at the department’s headquarters at 1111 Trousdale Drive.

Airline service workers

vote to authorize strike

Workers at San Francisco International Airport who are seeking higher wages and better health care voted overwhelmingly Thursday to authorize a strike, a spokesman for the union representing the workers said Friday.

About 500 workers, whose jobs include service skycaps, baggage handlers, wheelchair attendants, security personnel and airplane cabin cleaners, want improved training, higher wages and access to better family health care, said Lily Wang, a spokeswoman for Service Employees International Union.

The union represents about 2,000 workers at SFO.

Approximately half are in contract negotiations, and 500 of the workers, who are employed by PrimeFlight Aviation Services and G2 Secure Staff, were voting whether to strike, Wang said.

On Thursday the workers set up a ballot box on the departure curb in front of American Airlines at the airport from 5 a.m. until about 10 p.m. to let workers on all shifts vote, union spokesman Mike Chavez said. About 98 percent of the workers voted in favor of the authorization to strike.