Baltimore Security Guards Strike Against Abacus Corporation

Employees allege unfair labor practices amid union organizing efforts

Apr. 9, 2026 at 10:36pm

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A high-end, photorealistic studio still-life photograph featuring a security guard uniform, a union membership card, and a gavel on a clean, monochromatic seamless background, symbolizing the tension between worker rights and employer resistance.As security guards in Baltimore strike over alleged union retaliation, the clash between worker organizing and employer power is laid bare.Baltimore Today

Non-union security guards assigned to city and commercial sites in Baltimore have walked off the job, striking against contractor Abacus Corporation over allegations that the company has discriminated against, coerced, and fired workers involved in union organizing. The guards want to form a union with SEIU 32BJ to secure wage increases, job protections, healthcare, and paid time off.

Why it matters

This labor dispute highlights the ongoing tensions between workers seeking to unionize and employers who may resist those efforts. The outcome could set precedents around workers' rights and the ability of security guards to collectively bargain for better working conditions.

The details

The security guards, who are employed by Abacus Corporation to provide services at various city and commercial sites, walked off the job on Thursday in protest. They allege that Abacus has engaged in unfair labor practices, including discriminating against, coercing, and firing workers involved in the push to form a union with SEIU 32BJ. The union says the guards want to secure guaranteed annual wage increases, job protections, healthcare benefits, and paid time off through collective bargaining.

  • The security guards went on strike on Thursday, April 9, 2026.

The players

Abacus Corporation

The contractor that employs the security guards in Baltimore and is accused of unfair labor practices.

SEIU 32BJ

The Service Employees International Union local that the security guards are seeking to join in order to collectively bargain for better wages and benefits.

Jaime Contreras

The executive vice president of SEIU 32BJ, who is representing the security guards in their dispute with Abacus.

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What they’re saying

“We must have a guaranteed wage increases every year, so we can have protection on the job, so we can have things like health care that every worker should have, so we can have paid vacations.”

— Jaime Contreras, Executive Vice President, SEIU 32BJ

What’s next

The dispute between the security guards and Abacus Corporation is ongoing, and it remains to be seen whether the workers will be successful in their efforts to unionize.

The takeaway

This labor dispute highlights the ongoing challenges that workers face in trying to organize and collectively bargain for better working conditions, even in industries like security services where wages and benefits may already be relatively high. The outcome could have broader implications for the rights of workers to form unions and the obligations of employers to respect those rights.