At a time when the need for quality security officers has never been greater, a new report on the state of Chicago’s security industry finds that the combination of low pay, high turnover and inconsistent training of Chicago’s Security Officers could undermine the ability of our city to retain experienced, qualified security officers.

Though Chicago had been held up as a model for creating a stable, professional security force, the new report by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1 finds that Chicago is on the verge of falling behind other cities and could fail to meet the security challenges facing today’s global cities. The full report, First Defense: Chicago Security at a Crossroads, is available at www.seiu1.org/standforsecurity.  

Key findings from the Chicago report include:

•    Security officers struggle to get by on low wages:  The starting salary for security officers in downtown office buildings is $9.15 an hour, below the federal poverty line for a family of four and well below the starting wages of janitors in the same buildings.  In fact, a Chicago security officer has to work for four years to reach the wages a Chicago janitor makes on her first day on the job. Many officers take a second job or work many hours of overtime to make ends meet for their families.  

•    High turnover undermines our security: Low wages contribute to high turnover rates, which increases costs and means fewer experienced officers are protecting our city’s buildings.  Fair wages and benefits are the key to reducing turnover.

•    Inconsistent training compromises our safety:  Training levels for downtown security officers vary widely because many building owners and managers require little to no ongoing training of security officers.  Often, buildings place responsibility for training on security officers themselves who can voluntarily enroll in unpaid training programs during their free time.  

The report comes as security officers are about to begin bargaining a union contract that could address many of the problems plaguing the city’s security industry.  The security officers’ union contract expires April 27.  Security officers in cities across the country have been speaking out about lack of investment in a workforce entrusted daily with the protection of the public, including in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle and Minneapolis-St. Paul.