NEWARK - Security Officers privately employed to protect city buildings claim they are owed more than $1.05 million in back earnings, lost vacation time and holiday pay from January 2025 through March 2026, according to the union 32BJ SEIU.

Pro Cops Security, a private contractor based at 60 Park Place, Newark, employs approximately 130 armed security officers that it assigns to city facilities, including City Hall and Municipal Court. While the employees are not unionized or part of 32BJ SEIU, Union Legal Representative Annie Hollister said concerned officers reached out to 32BJ SEIU earlier this year for advice and support.

According to city ordinance, the city's prevailing wage shall be the wage and benefit rates designated by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development. The prevailing wage for Guard II, an armed officer requiring specialized training, is $22.61 per hour, according to records on the U.S. General Services Administration's Sam.gov. The benefit supplement is $5.55, bringing the prevailing wage and benefit rate to $28.16 per hour for Guard II.

Union representatives say they have received paystubs from dozens of security officers dating to March 2025 showing hourly pay of $25 per hour, which is below the prevailing wage for security officers. The union says evidence from the paystubs shows a shortfall in wage rates and unpaid holiday pay and vacation time amounting to more than $1.05 million.

“This is over a million dollars taken directly from the pockets of workers who protect Newark’s public buildings every day,” said Ana Maria Hill, vice president and New Jersey state director of 32BJ SEIU. “These are essential workers being denied the wages and benefits they are legally owed.”

A failure to pay prevailing wage is a violation of the Newark ordinance.

These alleged wage violations have not been reported to the New Jersey Department of Labor's Division of Wage and Hour Compliance, according to state DOL spokesperson Thomas Wright.

In July 2022, the City Council executed an $8.4 million contract with Pro Cops Security for two years to provide armed security guards for the Department of Public Works’ Public Buildings, which include municipal offices, community centers, recreational facilities and other publicly accessible structures.

City Council in February increased the contract by $3,330,047.88, bringing the total contract amount to over $11.7 million. It also extended the contract with Pro Cops to March 29, 2026.

City Clerk Kecia Daniels said that the city is under an emergency contract with Pro Cops Security, running from April 7 to Aug. 7.

SEIU Local 32BJ says it has surveyed dozens of Pro Cops security officers regarding their pay and benefits.

“Responses from the workers consistently reported that they had received no paid vacation or holiday pay, including at least six signed statements affirming that workers received no paid vacation or holidays,” Hollister said.

Under the city contracting ordinance, Pro Cops is required to provide at least 12 paid holidays per year.

“The city has become aware of a discrepancy with pay and has begun looking into it,” said Susan Garofalo, spokesperson for the Newark mayor's office.

Pro Cops Security declined to comment on these allegations despite repeated requests.

Pro Cops is under federal investigation by the National Labor Relations Board after it allegedly fired security officer Brian Tucker, a 17-year security veteran, in January shortly after he sent a message to coworkers encouraging them to unionize.

Pro Cops Security also came under fire in 2019, when it picked up a new contract with the Newark Housing Authority (NHA). The NHA discontinued its contract with Allied Universal Security Services, which paid $12.50 per hour, and awarded a security contract to Pro Cops, which paid $12 per hour.

Subsequently, 60 subcontracted security officers lost their wage and benefits rates, and more than 30 security officers, all of whom were Newark residents, found themselves out of work, according to 32BJ SEIU and a 2019 Patch article.

The displaced workers claimed this was a violation of Newark’s Worker Retention Ordinance, which protects service workers against unnecessary layoffs when the city switches from one contractor to another.

Several officers filed lawsuits against the company, and Pro Cops reached settlement agreements with seven of those workers, according to 32BJ SEIU. The financial terms of the settlements were not disclosed. Pro Cops denied wrongdoing in these cases, according to the union.

Hey everyone! I'm u/Century_Soft856, a founding moderator of r/NJSecurityGuards.

This is our new home for all things related to professional security in the state of New Jersey. We're excited to have you join us! This is meant to be a hub for all security professionals, and we welcome anyone thinking about getting into security work, former security officers, first responders, etc.

Community Vibe
We're all about being friendly and relaxed. Life is stressful enough, no need to bring it into the subreddit. Remember to look at the subreddit rules to keep us out of trouble.

How to Get Started

1. Introduce yourself in the comments below.
2. Post something today! Even a simple question can spark a great conversation.
3. If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join.
4. Interested in helping out? We're always looking for new moderators, so feel free to reach out to me to apply.

Thanks for being part of the very first wave. Together, let's make r/NJSecurityGuards amazing.

https://dspace.njstatelib.org/search?spc.page=1&query=%22Security%20Guard%22&scope=c79f6979-4859-4207-9f4e-842f0420114f

Is it normal that AUS only takes RPO/off duty LEOs for their Armed Positions? I was scrolling through their openings in my area the other day and couldn't find a single positions for non-LEO/RPO guys.

A good resource to have when looking for potential new jobs, just to ensure the company is legit. Looks like this list was updated back in February of 2025.

https://njsp.njoag.gov/wp/wp-content/uploads/ActiveAgenciesRpt_20250203.pdf

https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/hammonton/latest/hammonton_nj/0-0-0-20810

Open discussion time. How do you guys manage burn out from work? What do you guys do to chill out and keep your sanity week by week?

Video games? Reading? Taking road trips? What helps you guys keep yourself grounded through all the bull shit?

I hope you all are doing well.

For anyone looking to get out of a dead-end security job, keep your eyes on indeed. I've been seeing an absolute boom in federal contracts. Tons of jobs supporting federal LEOs. If you've been looking for an opportunity to do something new and make a little more money, keep your eyes open.

Did you guys get trained by a supervisor, another officer etc. for your current post? Or were you sent post orders and told to figure it out?

I've done it both ways, just curious what is more common.

Just curious about our demographics. Are you guys pursuing/in careers in security, is it a part time gig for you? Helping you work through college? Footstep into law enforcement? Retirement gig?

Just curious what everyone's motivation is for putting up with the things we put up with

I've seen an uptick of seasonal job listings on the NJ Security Facebook page (which I know a lot of us look at), that are very vague and lack information about the agency running the job. Make sure you are doing your due diligence and checking that these companies are real, are licensed by NJSP as security agencies, and etc. I've seen a few reports of scam job openings on the Facebook page, and while I can't confirm scams, it's not hard to believe it.

If you are looking for seasonal work and the company is rushing you into accepting the offer too fast, remember to slow down and make sure it is a real company you are speaking with, ensure they are licensed, insured, legally allowed to operate in New Jersey, etc.

I'd hate to see someone get stuck in a bad situation.

I hope everyone is doing well!

I'm trying to figure out how common this is, I guess it isn't extremely common. One of the companies I used to work for had a few guys who were certified as instructors and whenever employees needed renewals they would do the renewal class for free for them, but all of the other companies I've worked for either did not have SORA instructors, or it cost employees to renew through them, sometimes at a discounted rate.

In your experience what is more common? It seems like some companies have partnerships with SORA instructors, to send their guys for slightly cheaper, while others do nothing, and a select few front the cost of renewals.

What have you found to be a much more useful tool than you expected? Doesn't necessarily have to be duty related. Just curious as to what we all need to make sure we have to make it through a shift, whether it's a comfort item, practical item, etc.

Anybody work for Ironrock Security? I've considered applying but I see their office location is over an hour away from me and I don't plan on traveling that far for a potential interview, especially for part time. Does anybody know if they only hold interviews on Lakewood or do they have satellite offices/do virtual interviews?

Have you guys received more than just the state mandated training? What have you done, that you would recommend to other security personnel?

Have you guys ever had companies that invested in their employees? To what degree?

I worked for one company that ran annual workshops that covered basic first aid, some aspects of emergency response, and they also had in-house SORA instructors to handle renewals and initial licensing if you got hired without a license, they had range agreements and PTC instructors to handle RPO renewals, (they didn't hire non-LE for armed positions).

I have never dealt with this company nor am I endorsing them; however this has been floating around the NJ Security Facebook group, I figured I would repost it here incase anyone might be looking for an opportunity like this. Part time gig, 23.65 per hour, Newark Liberty International Airport.

Many of you may already be aware of this Facebook group, it is the largest hub of security announcements and discussions for NJ Security Officers on Facebook. I do not run it or moderate it, but I can tell you there are constant work opportunities posted in it, and it is a great way to stay in the loop for opportunities near you, with some last-minute gigs offering increased pay, and of course it is a great way to network. If any of you guys are Facebook users, make sure to check out the group, you may find some useful posts in it.

NJ SECURITY | Facebook

I'm trying to find a new company and post in the Jersey City area and all I keep seeing are the same companies. Mainly AUS, Securitas, Gardaworld, Prosegur, Harvard, and Ironrock. Are there any others that have websites where I could apply? I've tried applying to a few of these and they don't respond even though I have the qualifications.