For years,the wages and benefits attached to Jordan’s responsibility on the job failed to reflect the reality of the work, representing a pattern across the private security industry, where public safety work is disproportionately performed by workers of color, particularly Black workers, and historically undervalued.

Research from the UC Berkeley Labor Center shows security guards are overwhelmingly workers of color, with Black workers making up more than half of the workforce in New York City. Based on UC Berkeley Labor Center’s research, racial inequality is built directly into the industry’s wage structure. Black security officers earn a median hourly wage of $19.06 , while white guards earn more than $30 an hour. Latino and Asian American security guards earn median hourly wages of $21.47 and $21.04, further highlighting racial wage gaps in the security industry. Similar disparities exist in Baltimore, where nearly three out of four security guards are Black workers. There, the median annual earnings for a private security officer ($34,854 a year) are less than 40% of the city’s overall median income, and more than 40% lack employer-provided health insurance.

These studies reveal how racial disparities are perpetuated through industry structure, and where union involvement can become a solution to racial justice. When workers participate in collective bargaining, they raise standards across entire worksites and set enforceable industry standards, helping close racial wage gaps and break cycles of economic insecurity.

This year, Jordan fought for and won a new union contract with 32BJ, witnessing firsthand how his union involvement expanded job security. His contract , which took effect October 1, 2025, guarantees wage increases over four years with the first wage increase going into effect January 1, protects employer-paid healthcare, and expands clearer nondiscrimination standards.

Just one month into his new contract, Jordan describes how his contract reinvigorated his commitment to the job.

For Jordan, the biggest win from his new contract is certainty. After years of unpredictability, the agreement guarantees scheduled wage increases for the next four years. “When you don’t have a physical contract, you don’t know what will happen,” he said. “Now, I know for a fact that the next four years, I and every other security guard that works for the companies under contract in  Philadelphia, are getting dollar raises.”Jordan felt the impact of his contract  when the first wage increase took effect on January 1. After working a single eight-hour shift under the new pay rate, Jordan realized he had earned more than he had originally budgeted. One shift under the new contract meant he could cover bills and support family expenses accumulated during the holidays.“Just one day's pay made a huge difference for me out here,” he said. “It makes me look forward to going back to my security post and working those 40 hours. It makes me look forward to my life and being able to budget around more money.”That stability has reshaped how he plans his life. With employer-paid health insurance secured through the contract, Jordan feels as though he has a rooted reason to stay, even when the job gets tough. “There were plenty of times I had one foot out the door,” he admitted. “But health insurance – that’s what will now keep me around.”For Jordan, the agreement he fought for represents higher levels of security for all officers on the job, no matter the color of their skin or where they are from. “We’re not all the way where we need to be yet,” he said. “I’m trying to bring as many people along with me as I can.”