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Coronavirus has amplified risks of security officers' safety: NASCO

NASCO Executive Director & General Counsel Steve Amitay joins Yahoo Finance’s On The Move panel to address the spike in attacks against security officials amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Video Transcript

JULIE HYMAN: There have been a lot of essential and front-line workers that have been highlighted during this pandemic, from delivery people to folks working the grocery store to, of course, doctors and nurses. There is one group, though, that our next guest says has not been getting enough credit and enough attention, and that is security guards.

We are joined now by Steve Amitay. He is the Executive Director and General Counsel at the National Association of Security Companies. Steve, thank you for joining us.

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We have certainly seen some of these folks on the front lines actually being injured or, in some cases, killed in altercations where people don't want to wear masks, for example, at retail stores. What are you hearing from your member companies about the risks that their employees are facing right now?

STEVE AMITAY: Well, thank you, Julie. Thank you, Adam, for having me.

Yeah, I agree. You know, the risks that security officers are facing every day, which they did even before COVID-19, are great, and now COVID-19 has only amplified those risks.

But, you know, when you see all the, you know, well-deserved praise that politicians and the media are giving to essential workers for continuing to leave their home to do their jobs, it's just-- it's just incredible that security officers who truly are on the front line, you know, are being overlooked in the praise.

And, you know, just a case in point-- I mean, just yesterday the New York congressional delegation introduced a bill in Congress that would create a COVID-19 compensation fund. And, you know, and in the statement introducing this bill, you know, Congresswoman Maloney said, you know, September 11 it was the firefighters and officers who ran into the burning buildings to save lives. Today in the fight against coronavirus, it is the first responders; retail workers; transit workers; grocery-store clerks; delivery workers; janitorial staff; sanitation workers; mail carrier; hospitality workers; federal, state, and local employees who are on the front lines who are walking in the fire every day.

But, you know, you know who also save lives and continue to do so every day? And that's private-security professionals, and it's kind of amazing the way that they're getting overlooked in this discussion about essential workers.

ADAM SHAPIRO: Steve, it's Adam. Thank you for being here. So what are you doing to get them included in the bill?

STEVE AMITAY: Well, I think-- Adam, I think they are included in the bill, but it's more of the media out there and the statements of politicians that, you know, not only, I think, are overlooking the essential front-line role of security officers but, for lack of a better term, is kind of a measure of disrespect the way that security officers are being treated because, as Julie noted in the intro, I mean, these security officers, their job is to make sure that people, you know, are not entering businesses who are in violation of COVID-19 mitigation efforts. They're wearing their masks. They're socially distancing. And that's-- you know, that's a very tough job to be able to perform during this time.

RICK NEWMAN: Hey, Steve. Rick Newman here. How bad-- give us some sense of how bad is this problem. I mean, I guess my real question is how obnoxious are Americans really insisting that they must be allowed into stores past security guards who are saying no, you have to wear a mask?

STEVE AMITAY: Well, I mean, you know, obviously it is a problem. I mean, you know, of course-- you know, there was the case just-- tragic case just the other week where when a security officer in Flint, Michigan, tried to inform people trying to walk in a store that they need to put on a mask, the people got so upset a date they murdered him. I think those are more interesting.

RICK NEWMAN: I mean, are we seeing more-- are we seeing more actual confrontations like that, or is that-- would you call that an isolated incident?

STEVE AMITAY: No, I think that because of the fact that now-- before COVID-19, I mean, a security officer was pretty much a visible deterrent at an entrance of a building. You know, he would help people. You know, now, though, I mean, there's added responsibilities of having to enforce, you know, the policies of the business, some of the safe distancing and mask ordinances. So that's an added responsibility.

And for various reasons-- someone just might be ignorant. Someone might be belligerent. Somebody might be troubled. But if someone comes into an establishment and says I'm not going to wear a mask, you know, it falls on a security officer to deal with that situation, not anybody else in the store-- you know, not the grocery clerk, not the retail employee. I mean, it's the security officer who's got that public-safety duty.

JULIE HYMAN: So, Steve, we have seen a lot of different companies from Walmart to Starbucks, for example-- people who are working in their normal environments right now, they've been paying people extra hazard pay in some cases. Is that happening with security officers as well? Are your members paying their folks bonuses or extra right now as they deal with all the--

STEVE AMITAY: Well, you know, we are supportive of the various bills in Congress that would, you know, provide for hazard pay. And really, it is hazard pay. I think for some classes of workers, it's premium pay. For security officers, it's hazardous pay.

And so, yeah, we are very supportive of efforts in Congress to, you know, create this heroes fund and to provide, you know, premium hazard pay for security officers.

JULIE HYMAN: But I'm also curious about demand for security-officer services right now. I mean, obviously in places where-- that have reopened you need security officers there, but I imagine there is probably going to drop in business, unfortunately, in a lot of places.

STEVE AMITAY: Yeah, without a doubt, Julie. For instance, in the hospitality industry and maybe the travel industry, you know, they don't have the demands for security. But as you say, yeah, places-- you know, now all of a sudden businesses, they need people to enforce these ordinances and mandates or else the business is going to get shut down. So there has been-- there has been an increase, and it's only going to grow as businesses start to reopen because all of a sudden now it's not just about keeping out someone who is, you know, randomly unruly. I mean, it's about people who, you know, need to follow strict health guidelines that, you know, two months ago never existence.

JULIE HYMAN: Steve, thanks for your perspective on this. Steve Amitay is the executive director and general counsel of NASCO, the National Association of Security Companies. Thank you.

STEVE AMITAY: Thank you, Julie. Thank you, Adam.