In a decisive 46–5 vote, the New York City Council enacted the Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act, becoming the city’s first law since 1964 to set a minimum wage standard for private sector security employees not employed through a city contract.The Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act guarantees a minimum wage, paid vacation and holidays, and supplemental benefits for all 60,000 New York City private sector security officers.  The Act’s compensation package will be at least as much as the compensation package of security officers employed on New York City public building service contracts.

For years, private security officers have been legally paid $17 an hour with no benefits, no paid vacation, and no paid holidays, fueling a devastating 77% annual turnover rate that threatens public safety citywide. This law directly addresses that crisis by stabilizing the workforce and ensuring experienced, trained officers can stay on the job.

As 32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich said,“This law will change the lives of tens of thousands of low wage security officers who for too long have been overlooked and underappreciated. Aland Etienne made the ultimate sacrifice, putting his life on the line to protect lives during a mass shooting. Today, our city has honored Aland and all security officers – our unsung heroes – who show up every day to protect us…No New York City security officer should go to sleep wondering how they’ll make rent, pay medical bills, or feed their families.”

The Act is named in honor of Aland Etienne, a 32BJ security officer who lost his life protecting others during the July 2025 mass shooting at 345 Park Avenue Aland’s partner, Rachelle Paoli, spoke powerfully about what this moment means”“We come from a country, Haiti, where we say, ‘l’unité fait la force, unity is strength.’ Coming together to uplift security officers makes us all safer. This is the perfect way of honoring a hero’s legacy,” she said.With the passage of the Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act, New York City is charting a path forward for cities and states across the country. This law shows what is possible when lawmakers recognize that public safety depends on economic security, and that security officers deserve wages, benefits, and time off that match the responsibility and risk of their work.