The Hoboken Housing Authority is the 1st in New Jersey to set wage and benefits for security officers at Thursday’s board of commissioners meeting.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
The collective bargaining agreement, which was approved via resolution unanimously (7-0), will raise officers’ total compensation to $20.55 an hour.
“Many guards like me do not have a union contract and suffer from the race to the bottom that occurs when minimum standards are not set for public contracts,” Christian Hill, a six-year security officer who lives in the HHA and a member of 32BJ SEIU, said at the meeting.
“Without these minimum standards that you are considering today, a guard is only assured minimum wage and health plans that are often too expensive. By adopting this policy, you will be ensuring that your guards do not have to choose between having to pay for rent, groceries, or medicine.”
32BJ SEIU represents 15,000 cleaners, security officers, airport workers and food service workers in the state of New Jersey, 1,500 of whom work in Hudson County.
“The adoption of this critical resolution is a significant step forward in ensuring that the Hoboken Housing Authority security officers are compensated fairly for the essential work they do every day,” added Mayor Ravi Bhalla, who is running for a state Assembly seat in the 32nd Legislative District.
“By tying wage rates to the largest security officer collective bargaining agreement in the county, we are setting a higher standard for others to emulate and reinforcing our commitment to fairness and equity. I want to thank the Hoboken Housing Authority’s Board of Commissioners for their leadership in adopting this measure and 32BJ SEIU for their unwavering advocacy in making this a reality.”
32BJ SEIU New Jersey Political Director Adrian Orozco also expressed enthusiasm about the move.
“The proposed resolution to establish minimum wage and benefit rates for security contractors at Hoboken Housing Authority is a community-wide investment in Hoboken, promoting higher public safety standards for HHA residents while creating good jobs for low-wage workers,” he said.
“Service jobs that support the maintenance and operation of public housing authorities should pay living wages and promote pathways out of poverty. 32BJ commends HHA, its board and Director Marc Recko on their leadership on family-sustaining job standards and its commitment to uplifting Hoboken communities. We also thank Mayor Bhalla for his invaluable support for these higher standards.”