‘Protect the protectors’: Hundreds rally as security guard legislation introduced

An overflow crowd of security guards, legislators and family members of security guard Aland Etienne, killed in a recent Midtown attack, on Thursday gathered to honor him and push for legislation as a lasting memorial that would set new pay and training regulations for New York City security guards.

More than 400 people, including hundreds of guards, filled the rotunda, holding posters with photos of Etienne. Dozens more stood outside once capacity was reached.

Etienne, 46, of Brooklyn, and off-duty NYPD officer Didarul Islam, 36, who was working a security detail, were killed July 28 in a shooting at 345 Park Ave.

Wesley LePatner, 43, a senior managing director at Blackstone, and Julia Hyman, 27, an associate at Rudin Management, which owns the building, were also killed. The shooter then took his own life.

Council Speaker Adrienne Adams introduces the Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act, backed by more than 25 co-sponsors.32BJ SEIU

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and more than 25 co-sponsors introduced the Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act shortly after the rally. The measure would direct the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to establish and enforce minimum wage standards, paid sick and vacation leave, benefits, and expanded training requirements for security guards.

It also would create a Security Guard Advocate within the agency to educate guards and employers about the new mandates and handle complaints.

“Security officers like Aland are integral to New York City’s public safety infrastructure,” Speaker Adams said. “But too often they are not compensated or treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.”

Ibrahim Sene, a security guard, said he protects against theft, but also protects employees and customers, often late at night. “We work hard to protect this city,” he said. “Now we are asking you to protect us.”

Aland’s younger brother Smith Etienne also said Aland “protected the public on the job.”  “Let’s honor his legacy by uplifting and protecting his colleagues across the city,” Smith said. “Protect the protectors.”

An obituary for Etienne noted he “found purpose and pride in his work, becoming a respected security officer in one of Manhattan’s most prominent buildings.”

The legislation would set a base as well as increasing training, for all security guards in New York City, although some already likely are paid well above that.

“The security officers who we trust to watch over out loves ones often are overlooked,” said 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich, representing 20,000 security guards. “Investing in our brave security officers will make us all more safe.”

A study by the University of California at Berkeley Labor Center of the roughly 82,000 privately paid security guard in New York City concluded the industry is seeing a 77% annual turnover rate.

The study also found they earn a median income of $40,311, although 84.7% work full-time and 88.7% work the full year. The vast majority or 90.6% are workers of color and Black workers account for roughly half.

Meanwhile, 37.8% have no health insurance through their employer or a household member’s employer.

Overflow crowd fills the City Hall rotunda to honor fallen security guard Aland Etienne, calling for new protections for New York City’s security workforce.

Council Member Crystal Hudson said passing this legislation would honor “the life and legacy of Aland Etienne,” not simply through “mourning, but in action.”

“How often our city has failed to value the workers on the front lines of our safety every day?” Hudson asked. “Security officers are not just building staff. They are first responders.”

Council Member Julie Menin said there’s a need to “protect security workers” while providing more training to protect them and help them better protect the public.

Arc of Justice leader Reverend Kirsten Foy called security guards “unsung heroes” often described as “not producing.”

“I beg to differ. They are producing a security environment. They are producing safety for you and your family,” Rev. Foy said. “They not only give us their labor. They give us their lives.”

New York State in 1992 started a security guard program, mandating training for anyone working in the security industry statewide, said Mike Gaynor, a retired NYPD detective and owner of East Coast Detectives, which does investigations and trains security guards.

Security guards not working as NYPD officers must obtain eight-hour pre-assignment training, followed by 16 hours on the job training and eight hours annual training, Gaynor said.

“Civilians” working as security guards who work with a gun must obtain 47 hours of fire arms training, Gaynor added.

“It’s a dangerous vocation. And the most important person on the job is the cop or the security guard who has to look out for everybody,” Gaynor said. “They are first responders when they’re working. They are generally underpaid. Not all of them. Some make good money.”

Gaynor, who said there are around 400 schools to train security guards in New York State, said many security guards currently make around minimum wage, while someone with law enforcement experience may get $20 to $25 or more.

“If you work in security on Park Avenue protecting a building with thousands of people in it, I would expect you would make more than if you’re checking receipts in Home Depot,” Gaynor said. “Those are two different jobs and assignments. I’d expect more money in one than another.”

More than 400 people packed into City Hall Thursday, with dozens more waiting outside, demanding higher pay and better training for security guards.32BJ SEIU

While the rally served as a reminder of Etienne, people who worked with him talked about daily reminders of the loss and potential danger of the job.

Brian Telfair, a Brooklyn resident and security guard at 345 Park Avenue, said Etienne’s empty locker remains next to his.

“We’d talk a lot about our families. We’d buy lottery tickets. He was crazy about Lotto,” said Telfair, who has worked there for more than two years and as a security guard since 1988. “It’s sad, seeing his empty locker every day. Plus, it’s been hard going back to work knowing that it could have been me.”

The legislation, named for Etienne, could be phased in over four years, including 16 hours of supplemental training covering emergency preparedness and active shooter response within 120 days of hire, plus 8-hour annual refreshers.

The minimum compensation would be set by DCWP to develop “appropriate hourly wage rates” to retain and attract a skilled workforce, not lower than private guards on city contracts, currently paid about $18 to $21 based on experience.

Some regions have imposed wage floors and other legislation related to at least some security guards and other industries. Washington DC in 2008 set higher wage and benefit rates for security officers stationed at office buildings.

Maryland in 2021 passed the Secure Maryland Wage Act, citing high turnover when it increased the minimum wage for workers at Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport, Pennsylvania Station and the Port of Baltimore.

New York and New Jersey in 2021with the Healthy Terminals Act set wage and benefits requirements for certain airport workers at Port Authority airports.