St. Louis Board of Aldermen Approve Bill Sponsored by SEIU Local 1 to Further Protect Workers on City Contracts
The amended LWO requires contractors to pay the designated LWO rates during all phases of employment, with the only exemption being employees that meet the newly defined criteria for interns.
ST. LOUIS, MO - On Friday, January 17, 2025, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen voted to approve Board Bill 128 and amend the City’s current Living Wage Ordinance (LWO). After which time, the bill will go to the Mayor’s desk for her signature.
The Board of Aldermen swiftly took action to amend the LWO after representatives from Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1 provided numerous paystubs from contracted security officers that reflected hourly pay rates between $12-$14 per hour with no additional healthcare reimbursement during their initial 30 hours of employment. According to employee pay stubs collected by SEIU Local 1 and submitted on behalf of workers to the Board of Aldermen and Comptroller Darlene Green, the disputed hours had been designated by Gardaworld, a security contractor at the airport, and its subcontractors as “training pay."
“Local 1 janitors and Gardaworld security officers at Lambert International Airport work side-by-side to provide essential services to our city,” said Chris Rak, SEIU Local 1 Director of Missouri and Southern Illinois. “We’re ready to fight to ensure the city and airport commission select a responsible contractor at Lambert International Airport, when Gardaworld’s contract for services expires in April 2025.”
"Contractors performing work on city contracts covered by the LWO are obligated, by law, to pay workers the defined hourly rates. Those that choose not to follow the law, can be sanctioned by the city and may potentially be barred from city contracts,” said St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green. “As Comptroller, I will not condone any attempt to undermine laws that protect working families in our city. I'm very proud to have played a part in closing this loophole."
“Gardaworld is a contractor with a global presence and one of the largest private companies in the entire world. Wherever there is conflict or insecurity, Gardaworld is there attempting to make a profit on the backs of workers that are most often people of color,” said 14th Ward Alderman and bill consponsor Rasheen Aldridge. “We should all be outraged to learn that a company of its size and magnitude, with its North American headquarters in St. Louis, would attempt to take advantage of the hard working people of our city. We simply cannot stand for it.”
“I’m proud to stand with Gardaworld officers and workers across our city that are fighting for dignity and respect. I’m here to serve my Ward and city by doing everything I can to help support working people in my community and sometimes that requires us to hold large corporations, like Gardaworld, accountable,” said 4th Ward Alderman and bill co-sponsor Bret Nayaran. “It’s in our city’s interest to make sure that hard working people on city contracts earn enough to thrive and not just survive.”