Baltimore Security Officers Fired and Removed from Schedules After Participating in Lawful Strike Against Unfair Labor Practices
Nearly a year after workers voted to authorize a strike, non-union city and commercially contracted security officers in Baltimore, Maryland, walked off the job on April 9 on an unfair labor practice strike against their employers, Abacus Corporation, Metropolitan Protective Services, and Urban Development Solutions. Now, Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) says that workers have been retaliated against by Metropolitan Protective Services (MPS), alleging that the city contractor “fired and harassed workers following [the] lawful strike.” MPS denies these allegations and claims “that no employees have been terminated due to union involvement.”
In this episode, we speak with Victoria Cox, a former MPS employee who worked to reach the rank of sergeant, and Daril Riley, a former MPS employee who reached the rank of corporal. Both Cox and Riley have had their shifts taken off the schedule—and, essentially, their jobs taken away—and both have been put under investigation by MPS since the strike in April.
A statement from Derrick Parks, CEO and President of Metropolitan Protective Services, reads: "Metropolitan Protective Services, Inc. (MPSI) maintains that no employees have been terminated due to union involvement. We fully support our employees’ right to choose whether or not to join a union. The individuals recently removed from the schedule were terminated for failing to maintain the current Maryland guard license required by the Maryland State Police. Regarding Sergeant Cox, she was removed from the schedule at the specific request of the client following multiple advisements regarding violations of client policy and insubordination. Of our 175 employees, only six have been removed from the schedule or terminated, all due to licensing issues or performance concerns. We find these allegations to be without merit and believe they are being used by the union to exert pressure on the company."
The statement further notes: "Furthermore, we have received reports of union representatives harassing employees who chose not to join, including unauthorized site visits and the use of derogatory language. MPSI is currently considering filing a cease and desist order and a harassment lawsuit to protect the rights of our staff. Our priority remains protecting all employees, regardless of their union status."
The following is a transcript of an interview with Victoria Cox and Daril Riley. Welcome everyone to Working People, a podcast about the lives, jobs, dreams, and struggles of the working class today. Working People is a proud member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network and is brought to you in partnership with In These Times Magazine and the Real News Network. This show is produced by Jules Taylor and made possible by the support of listeners like you. My name is Maximillian Alvarez, and today we’ve got an important follow-up to a story here in Baltimore that we reported on back in April.
To refresh your guys’ memory, on April 9th, nearly a year after workers voted to authorize a strike, non-union city and commercially contracted security officers in Baltimore walked off the job on an unfair labor practice strike against their employers, Abacus Corporation, Metropolitan Protective Services, and Urban Development Solutions. The strike involved security guards stationed at city and commercial sites around Baltimore, including Harbor East, the water treatment facility, the Able Woolman Building, police stations, and housing developments among others.
In what has been a protracted years-long effort to unionize with the Service Employees International Union Local 32BJ, workers have been fighting for more job security, better pay, accessible healthcare, and safer working conditions. And in the episode that we published just before the strike, I got to talk about all of that with Laura Dixon, a veteran security officer and Abacus employee, and Jaime Contreras, Executive Vice President of SEIU Local 32BJ. And today we’re talking about the latest infuriating update from this story.
On Friday, May 22nd, I got a press email from SEIU Local 32BJ with the title, "City Security Officers Fired and Threatened after going on strike according to labor charges filed against city contractor." Now, according to the union, quote, “Non-union security officers have filed unfair labor practice charges alleging their employer, city contractor Metropolitan Protective Services, fired and harassed workers following a lawful strike that took place on Thursday, April 9th.
MPS, which employs at least 70 officers who protect 10 public housing units run by the Baltimore Housing Authority, among other sites, receives $15 million from the Baltimore Housing Authority and $6 million from the Maryland Department of General Services. Starting the day after officers went on strike, MPS also stopped bringing paychecks to Baltimore from their Hyattsville headquarters and instead required officers to drive over 30 miles to Hyattsville, creating a new barrier between officers and access to their pay. Seven officers reported losing their jobs or being removed from their schedule for actions that MPS permitted prior to the strike, including Victoria Cox for simply eating lunch in her car after two years on the job protecting Westport housing in South Baltimore, where Cox dealt with domestic violence, break-ins, and shootings.
After the strike in early April, an MPS supervisor interrogated an officer over union involvement and told the officer that he could lose his job. Multiple officers also reported being interrogated by a supervisor after their participation in the lawful strike. So as part of my journalistic due diligence, I reached out to MPS for comment on these allegations and I received a reply from CEO and president of MPS, Derek Parks, which says in part, “Metropolitan Protective Services, Inc. Maintains that no employees have been terminated due to union involvement. We fully support our employees’ right to choose whether or not to join a union. Of our 175 employees, only six have been removed from the schedule or terminated all due to licensing issues or performance concerns. We find these allegations to be without merit and believe they are being used by the union to exert pressure on the company.”
I’ve included the full statement from MPS CEO and President Derek Parks in the show notes for this episode so that you can read the full thing. But for now, as we always do, we’re going to take you guys to the front lines of this struggle so that you can hear directly from the working people at the center of it. And I am really grateful to be joined on the show today by Victoria Cox herself. Victoria is a former MPS employee who worked to get to the rank of Sergeant. And we’re also joined by Daril Riley, a former MPS employee who’s been working there for 15 months and reached the rank of corporal. Both Victoria and Daril have had their shifts taken off the schedule and essentially their jobs taken away and they have both been put under investigation by MPS since the strike began.
Victoria, Daril, thank you both so much for joining me today. I really, really appreciate it and I completely understand why you’re feeling the way that you are. My heart breaks thinking about all the many working people I’ve talked to who are in situations like yours and just how callous these bosses are towards our pain, how callous politicians can be to that pain, how much the media can ignore it. And of course we’re doing our best here to sort of counteract that, but I guess I’m appealing to everyone listening to this that don’t let these stories and these injustices just fade into the background. Nothing’s going to happen here unless fellow workers stand up and demand accountability. And we’re going to talk more about that as this conversation goes on.
And to start, I wanted to just ask if you guys could both remind our listeners where this strike came from. What are the key issues that you and fellow security guards face on the job? Why have you been trying to unionize and why were you prepared to go on an unfair labor practice strike in April? I just want to make sure that folks listening remember before we talk about what happened after the strike, what this is all about.
Victoria Cox explained that she had been with the company for two years and had worked her way up to the rank of sergeant. She stated that the reason for the strike was to fight for better working conditions, more job security, and better pay. She noted that the job can be very dangerous, with security officers often being the first to respond to emergencies, and that they deserve to be treated with respect and fairness. Cox also mentioned that she had never been written up or disciplined before, but after the strike, she was suddenly being investigated and had her shifts taken away.
Daril Riley also shared his experience, stating that before the strike, the job wasn't so bad, but after the strike, the company started enforcing new rules that they had never heard of before. He noted that the company was trying to find ways to get rid of them, and that they were being retaliated against for participating in the strike. Riley also mentioned that the union had been very supportive and helpful throughout the process.
The conversation then turned to the specifics of what happened to Victoria and Daril after the strike. Victoria explained that she was eating lunch in her car after working a 16-hour shift, and was suddenly confronted by a supervisor who told her that she was not allowed to leave her post. She noted that she was still on the property and had not abandoned her post, but was still being investigated and had her shifts taken away.
Daril Riley shared a similar experience, stating that he was also being investigated and had his shifts taken away after the strike. He noted that the company was trying to find ways to get rid of them, and that they were being retaliated against for participating in the strike.
The conversation then turned to the impact that the strike and the subsequent retaliation had on Victoria and Daril's lives. Victoria noted that she was struggling to pay her bills and was facing financial hardship, and that she was emotional and frustrated by the situation. Daril Riley also shared his struggles, stating that he was having a hard time supporting his family and was unsure of what the future held.
The conversation concluded with a call to action, urging listeners to support Victoria and Daril and to stand in solidarity with them. The host noted that the story of Victoria and Daril was not unique, and that many workers across the country were facing similar struggles and injustices. The host urged listeners to get involved and to demand accountability from companies like MPS, and to support workers who are fighting for their rights.
In the end, the host thanked Victoria and Daril for sharing their story, and urged listeners to tune in to future episodes of the podcast to learn more about the struggles and triumphs of working people. The host also encouraged listeners to support the podcast and to get involved in the fight for workers' rights.