The Baltimore City Council yesterday signed off on an ordinance that sets a new minimum-compensation standard for commercial security officers, locking wage and benefit requirements into local law and nudging the measure closer to reality. Backers say it is aimed squarely at chronically low pay at many private security firms and at steadying staffing at buildings across the city. Officials estimate the change could affect roughly 4,500 workers who live in Baltimore.
What the ordinance does
The ordinance defines a “minimum compensation” floor for covered security officers and limits coverage to employers that have at least two security officers working in the city. It requires those employers to pay the higher of two benchmarks: the combined value of the federal Service Contract Act locality wage determination for Guard 1, or the combined average wage and benefit rate calculated from security staff at large commercial office buildings.
Under the legislation, the Wage Commission, with help from the Office of Equity and Civil Rights, must set that minimum figure every year. Employers can meet the requirement through a mix of wages, benefits, or cash, as outlined by the City of Baltimore Legistar.
How much could the pay rise, and who stands to gain
Right now, federally contracted security officers in the Baltimore area earn about $18.29 an hour plus a $5.55-per-hour health supplement, and their compensation packages typically include two to four weeks of vacation and 11 paid holidays. By comparison, many private security officers in the city earn around $15.80 an hour, a gap that has had workers and advocates pushing for higher standards.
Council and union leaders say the ordinance could raise wages or benefits for nearly 4,500 Baltimore residents, according to CBS News Baltimore.
Union leaders and the politics of the vote
Union leaders cast the vote as both an economic and racial justice move. Jaime Contreras of 32BJ SEIU noted that “as the overwhelming majority of security officers in Baltimore are Black, it’s all the more meaningful to achieve this milestone during Black history month.” Organizers have repeatedly warned that low pay drives sky-high turnover, and Contreras has cited estimates of annual turnover reaching 300 percent, arguing that stronger standards will help keep more experienced officers on the job. City Council President Zeke Cohen and bill sponsor Jermaine Jones are expected to stand alongside union leaders at a news conference to tout the passage, organizers said in local coverage by CBS News Baltimore.
Legal review and enforcement
The city’s Law Department reviewed the measure for form and sufficiency, and the council’s draft makes failure to pay the required minimum an enforceable violation of the city code, according to the department’s memo. The legislation instructs the Wage Commission to post the updated annual minimum on the city’s website by July 1, with the new rate taking effect the following calendar year, language meant to give contractors some breathing room to adjust…