Smith Etienne speaks on behalf of his brother Aland Etienne who was fatally shot during the Park Avenue shooting.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Of the 17 Eric Adams-era vetoes the City Council overturned Thursday, the Aland Etienne Safety and Security Act — which guarantees 60,000 private security officers citywide the pay, benefits, and protections they’ve long been denied — marked a deeply personal victory for Etienne’s family, who said the vote was the right way to honor his legacy.
At a press conference at 32BJ SEIU headquarters in Manhattan, Etienne’s partner, Rochelle Paoli, framed the legislation as a tribute to his life and work after he was killed protecting lives during a mass shooting in Midtown last July.
“We honor Aland’s legacy today by supporting all his colleagues across the city,” Paoli said. “Coming together to uplift security officers makes us all safer. This is the perfect way of honoring his legacy.”
Etienne, 46, was working security at 345 Park Ave. when a gunman opened fire in the building’s lobby, killing him and off-duty NYPD Officer Didarul Islam, who was on a security detail. Wesley LePatner, 43, a senior managing director at Blackstone, and Julia Hyman, 27, an associate at Rudin Management, were also killed before the shooter took his own life.
Etienne’s brother, Smith Etienne, emphasized his brother’s immigrant background and lifelong commitment to protecting others at Thursday’s event.
“Aland was my hero,” he said. “He protected the public on the job. And although this legislation is named after my brother, I want to dedicate this rally to his children as well.”
Giving security guards a better wage
The Act, which first passed the City Council in December before Adams vetoed it on his last day in office, establishes a citywide minimum wage for private-sector security officers, paid vacation and holidays, and supplemental benefits that match the compensation of guards employed on city contracts. Supporters said the law will address the industry’s staggering 77 percent annual turnover rate, a problem they say threatens public safety.
A recent report found that NYC security guards earn a median income of $40,311, which is less than 40% of the city’s Area Median Income, even though 84.7% of the guards work full-time and 88.7% work year-round. Meanwhile, 37.8% have no employer-sponsored or household member’s employer-sponsored health insurance.
On average, the guards earn a median hourly wage of $20.29, but the report found that about half earn even less.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who led the push to override the veto, framed Thursday’s vote as both a moral and practical imperative, adding that “the fact that we have to be here today to do this override is disgraceful.”
“Active shooter incidents are on the rise, making the work of security guards both more dangerous and more essential than ever,” Menin said. “Protecting security guards who put their lives on the line is a moral imperative, and this is the least we can do to deliver the standards and equity they’ve earned.”
Ahead of the vote, Manny Pastreich, President of SEIU Local 32BJ, described the legislation as transformative for security officers citywide. “When they pass this legislation, it’s going to be one of the most important wage laws that’s happened in the city since 1964. This legislation will raise standards for security officers in the city. It’ll provide money so they can have health insurance. It will provide paid days off for the people who keep us safe and secure. It really will be life-changing.”
“There are as many as 60,000 other private security officers, many of them making minimum wage with no benefits. What this legislation will do when it gets fully implemented is raise their rates by at least seven or eight dollars an hour, which is a real step forward in respecting the important work that they do,” he added.
Security officer Arnoul Joseph, a single father working in Brooklyn, said the Act would allow him to provide for his family and finally build a stable future. “That is what the American Dream means to me. The same dream Aland was fighting for,” he said.
The bill, which still must be signed into law by the mayor, directs the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection to establish and enforce minimum wage standards, paid sick and vacation leave, benefits, and expanded training requirements for security guards. It also creates a Security Guard Advocate within the agency to educate guards and employers about the new mandates and handle complaints.
Sam Levine, Commissioner of the DCWP, pledged vigorous enforcement of the new law, saying, “We will be fearless in enforcing this law on behalf of all of you, and making sure that this law and the legacy of Aland lives up to its promise.”
Thursday’s override was part of a broader Council effort to reinstate 17 bills vetoed by former Mayor Adams, touching issues from housing and street vending to worker protections and survivor justice.
