Security officers win record contract

Collective bargaining agreement with historic wage increases will cover nearly 5,000 workers in King County

SEATTLE, WA (November 4, 2025) — Security officers in the Seattle-area represented by SEIU6 Property Services NW voted unanimously to ratify a new contract on Wednesday, securing record-breaking wage increases and defending against erosion of current rights and working conditions guaranteed in past contracts.

Since kicking off their contract campaign in June, security officers have been clear in their goals for a new CBA, primarily higher wages. Their jobs have become more complex and demanding in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers report they’re often the first on scene when a community member is facing a medical crisis in public.

“While on patrol, I found a man face down and unconscious at Westlake Station. His pulse was weak, and his face was blue around the mouth. I called it in, began CPR and didn’t stop until emergency services arrived on the scene,” said Reginald Anderson, a transit security officer in a statement during negotiations.

At the same time that the job has become more intense, the cost of living in King County has dramatically increased in recent years; already working in one of the most expensive cities in the U.S., security workers were clear that a new contract would need to ensure wages that recognized these new realities.

Photo: SEIU6

In September, workers voted down a contract proposal from the employer that offered only a 30 cent wage increase in the first year of the contract. The workers then voted to authorize a strike, rallied in the streets, and shared their fight for a fair contract with the broader Seattle community at local actions. After 11 bargaining sessions over the course of several months, that hard work paid off.

The new contract includes the highest average increases ever negotiated, as well as the highest wage increase in a single year.

Security guards in cities around the country are also negotiating contracts this fall; in a Facebook post, SEIU6 shared appreciation for the solidarity of security officers nationwide, including security workers in New Jersey, Illinois, Wisconsin, California, and Hawaii. Members of SEIU Local 1 in Chicago have also ratified a contract, as have members of SEIU Local 32BJ in New Jersey, who ratified a contract Wednesday as well, likewise averting a strike.

SEIU6 Property Services NW represents more than 10,000 janitors, security officers, stadium workers, barbers, airport passenger service workers and allied industries workers in Washington state. Learn more at seiu6.org.