NYC Council passes Aland Etienne act setting new standards for security officers

The New York City Council has approved landmark legislation setting new wage, benefit and paid time off standards for the city’s private security officers, a workforce that leaders say plays a growing role in public safety while often lacking basic protections.

The Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act, passed Thursday, establishes industrywide compensation standards for roughly 81,900 private security officers across the city. The bill now heads to Mayor Eric Adams’ desk for signature.

The legislation is named for Aland Etienne, a security officer and member of 32BJ SEIU who was killed while trying to save lives during a July mass shooting at 345 Park Ave. His family supported the bill, which lawmakers said honors Etienne’s legacy by improving conditions for frontline workers.

“Despite putting their lives on the line to keep our city safe, security officers have been overlooked for too long,” Manny Pastreich, president of 32BJ SEIU, said in a statement. “The Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act will ensure each and every security officer can earn a living wage, access affordable health care and take time off to recuperate.”

Under the law, compensation standards will be phased in over three years. In the first year, security officers must be paid wages no lower than those earned by private security guards working on city contracts, currently ranging from $18.02 to $21.20 an hour, depending on experience and training. In the second year, employers must provide paid time off comparable to city-contracted security officers. By the third year, employers must offer a benefits supplement that can be provided as health benefits, cash or a combination of both.

Previous versions of the bill included additional training requirements, but lawmakers ultimately chose to maintain existing state training standards.

Supporters said the legislation addresses a severe turnover crisis in the industry. Security officers in New York City earn a median income of $40,311, according to a UC Berkeley Labor Center report, and nearly 38% lack health insurance through their employer or a household member. 

Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who sponsored the bill, said the measure reflects the city’s responsibility to protect those tasked with protecting others.

“Today’s bill passage is proof this Council will always stand for the front-line workers who are all too often left behind,” Councilmember Crystal Hudson said in a statement. “Every security worker will have strong workplace protections and a partner in government to hold their employers accountable.”

The security workforce in New York City is overwhelmingly made up of people of color, with Black workers accounting for roughly half of all guards. More than 44% were born outside the United States, according to the Berkeley report.

Advocates said the law could serve as a national model for improving standards in a sector that has expanded as cities increasingly rely on private security personnel in public and commercial spaces.

“This is a monumental victory for workers who protect New Yorkers every day,” Theodore A. Moore, executive director of ALIGN, said in a statement. “It sends a clear message that raising wages and benefits is essential to public safety.”

With the passage of the bill, supporters said they will now focus on implementation and enforcement to ensure that the new standards reach workers across the city.

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