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NYC Council Introduces Aland Etienne Bill to Lift Pay and Training Standards for Security Guards

The proposal empowers city regulators to set compensation, benefits, training requirements plus a complaint process ahead of Council review.

Overview

  • Speaker Adrienne Adams unveiled the Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act with more than 25 co-sponsors following July’s Midtown office shooting that killed security guard Aland Etienne.
  • The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection would set and enforce minimum wage standards, paid sick and vacation leave, benefits, and expanded training rules for private security employers and officers.
  • The plan adds 16 hours of active-shooter and emergency-preparedness training within 120 days of hire with 8-hour annual refreshers, building on existing state requirements.
  • The bill establishes a Security Guard Advocate within DCWP to educate workers and employers and to handle complaints about workplace violations.
  • Implementation could be phased over four years with pay floors at least equal to city-contracted guard rates, the sector covers roughly 80,000 workers with turnover reported near 77% and average pay just over $40,000; the mayor’s office says it will review the legislation.