Mayor Scott Signs Law Raising Pay, Benefits for 4,500 Baltimore Security Guards

Mayor Brandon Scott signed the Security Officers Compensation Bill into law Monday, establishing a minimum compensation framework that will raise wages and benefits for approximately 4,500 commercial security guards working across Baltimore City, with the first increase expected to take effect January 1, 2027.

The law directs the city's wage commission to set a minimum compensation level for security guards each year by July 1, with new pay levels taking effect the following January. The required rate will be whichever is higher: federal pay standards for security guards or the average pay and benefits for city employees. Employers may meet the standard through a combination of wages and benefits or by providing the equivalent in cash.

The gap between current pay and federal contract benchmarks illustrates why city council leaders pushed the measure. Most security officers in the Baltimore region earn about $15.80 per hour, according to city council officials, while federal contract officers in Baltimore received $18.29 per hour before the bill passed, plus a $5.55 per hour healthcare supplement, two to four weeks of vacation depending on seniority, and 11 paid holidays annually. Union leaders argued that the resulting wage gap drove turnover rates as high as 300 percent per year.

About 1,800 of the workers covered by the new law are members of 32BJ SEIU. Jaime Contreras, the union's Executive Vice President, had pressed urgently for the bill's passage. "We look forward to seeing this bill become law as soon as possible because Baltimore workers of color cannot afford to wait any longer," Contreras said.

Security officer Tisha Burrell spoke at the signing ceremony and described what the law means in concrete terms for her household. "The better wages and benefits will mean that my son and I could finally have a place of our own. It will mean no longer living paycheck to paycheck, no more choosing which essential needs we have to postpone until I can find the money," Burrell said.

Scott framed the legislation as recognition of workers who guard Baltimore's schools, hospitals, and City Hall every day. "They show up early; they stay way late," he said. "It's about dignity and respect." The mayor added that the standard goes beyond compensation: "Baltimore is at its best when it invests in its people."

The Baltimore City Council passed the bill in early February, and the wage commission now has until July 1 to set the first annual rate under the new framework.