Harbor East security guards walk out in 2nd strike this year

Security guards in Baltimore’s Harbor East neighborhood walked off the job Friday in their second unfair labor practice strike this year, accusing the Abacus Corporation of retaliating against organizing workers.

Workers said at a Friday rally that the security company had instituted a rule barring employees from speaking to the press, though company officials said that there was “zero truth” to the allegations.

“This routine day-long union tactic will not affect our ability to serve our clients, and our teams will continue to provide the same high level of service our clients have come to expect from Abacus,” the company said in a statement.

The walkout marked another escalation of the labor dispute between workers organizing with the Service Employees International Union 32BJ and Abacus, which lost a contract with Baltimore City amid complaints about substandard benefits and other working conditions.

There has been no formal vote or decision certifying the union to represent the security workers, though 32BJ SEIU has assisted Abacus workers in filing seven unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board. The union has also filed labor charges against Metropolitan Protective Services, another Baltimore security contractor.

Filed Tuesday, the latest charge accuses Abacus of violating the National Labor Relations Act by “telling employees they could not speak publicly or with the press about terms and conditions of their employment,” as well as by demoting one employee and terminating another for what organizers called legally protected union activities.

As his colleagues and union officials rallied with a drum line and large inflatable rat Friday on South Exeter Street, security officer Justin Poyner said that his unit’s management had issued the directive from above. He said that he was prepared to face discipline from management by Monday.

“The allegations are simply untrue,” the company said in a statement. “We will work through the established process, as required by law, to resolve this matter.”

Michael Brady, chief administrative officer at Abacus, said that talk about such a gag order was a “total lie” and that he “would like our employees to talk to the press,” adding that many employees enjoyed their working conditions. He said security guards are paid at a rate of $18.50 hourly, scheduled to increase to $25 per hour in October.

He said the company does refer media questions about specific security incidents to company spokespeople, rather than individual guards.

“That’s a really, really long shot,” Brady said.

Poyner said that the job has become increasingly stressful due to so-called “teen takeovers,” gatherings organized by young people on social media. He said that he had been struck by water bottles during a confrontation near the Bond Street Wharf in June.

“We just want job protections,” he said.