AlliedBarton
Encyclopedia
AlliedBarton Security Services is a security officer company
in the United States
, made up of the former companies Barton Protective Services, Spectaguard, Initial and Allied Security. It is the largest American owned security company in the United States
, employing approximately 50,000 people throughout the country. The company is headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
.
In 2006 the company was awarded 98th place in the USA
for training employees by Training Magazine, from a potential field of some 45,000 companies.
As of 2011 the company ranked 28th out of the top 125 in the United States by Training Magazine.
when labor union SEIU attempted to unionize AlliedBarton guards at Penn in 2006, but the union met with resistance. Since then, AlliedBarton employees have remained without a union and have been working with Jobs with Justice
to help get benefits and higher pay from the University. The SEIU agreed not to unionize the guards in return for Allied Barton agreeing to be neutral during labor strikes Pennsylvania.
AlliedBarton also employs guards at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, who have been unable to organize, in part because federal labor law has provisions permitting an employer not to recognize a union that represents both security officers and other workers.
AlliedBarton has also been accused of discrimination. In Abdul-Rahman v. AlliedBarton, AlliedBarton agreed to pay $7,000 to Mr. Abdul-Rahman over a discrimination claim. There is also a pending lawsuit (Braithwaite v. AlliedBarton) in New York federal district court over discrimination.
A lawsuit was filed on June 24, 2011 in Ohio for unfair labor practices by AlliedBarton.
to a student at the University of Pennsylvania
and was subsequently fired
.
A lawsuit claims that the city of Atlanta wasn’t playing fair when it turned down a contract worth about $3.5 million to handle security at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
The suit, filed in Fulton County Superior Court, contends that city officials colluded with Allied Barton Security Services LLC of Conshohocken, Pa., to shut out competition — even after the new company was told it won the bid. .
A negligence lawsuit was filed in November 2010 by the fiancée of Otis Beckford, who was killed in the November 6, 2009, shooting in downtown Orlando, Florida
. The lawsuit states that Beckford's employer and AlliedBarton, the security firm at the Gateway Center office building where the shooting occurred, should have anticipated an attack by shooting suspect Jason Rodriguez one year ago and been better prepared for his violent return. The claim further says that an AlliedBarton guard spotted Rodriguez in the parking garage on the day of the shootings and left his station to look for the man. "It is unknown if this security guard notified [RS&H] that Jason Rodriguez was again on the property", the claim says.
It goes on to say Rodriguez then passed an empty security desk that should have been occupied, entered an elevator and went up to the RS&H office, shooting six and killing Beckford. The claim says AlliedBarton "had a duty to place the entire building on notice" that Rodriguez was on the premises.
"Despite their knowledge of Jason Rodriguez's violent propensities and dangerous nature, Allied Barton failed to properly communicate his presence to Reynolds and failed to maintain their security position … thereby allowing Jason Rodriguez to reach the elevators and the defendant, Reynolds', office," the claim states.
Because of the security firm's negligence, the lawsuit says, Beckford "was injured and killed.".
In July of 2011, Nkosi Thandiwe, a security guard employed by Allied Barton was arrested for the shootings of three Atlanta women, one of whom died.
Private security company
A private security company is a for-profit enterprise, sometimes a corporation or a limited liability partnership, which provides armed and unarmed security services and expertise to private and public clients. Private security companies are defined by the U.S...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, made up of the former companies Barton Protective Services, Spectaguard, Initial and Allied Security. It is the largest American owned security company in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, employing approximately 50,000 people throughout the country. The company is headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
Conshohocken is a borough on the Schuylkill River in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, in suburban Philadelphia. Historically a large mill town and industrial and manufacturing center, after the decline of industry in recent years Conshohocken has developed into a center of riverfront commercial and...
.
Timeline
- 1977
- Barton Protective Services founded in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
- Barton Protective Services founded in Atlanta, Georgia
- 1980
- Spectaguard founded in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania
- 1999
- Spectaguard acquires New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-based Effective Security
- Spectaguard acquires New York
- 2000
- Spectaguard acquires Allied and combines to form Allied Security - the third largest security company in the United States
- 2003
- Allied acquires Professional Security Bureau (PSB)
- 2004
- Allied acquires SSI
- Allied acquires Barton Protective Services to form Allied-Barton Security Services - creating the largest American-owned contract security services company in the United States
- 2006
- Allied-Barton acquires Initial Security
In 2006 the company was awarded 98th place in the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for training employees by Training Magazine, from a potential field of some 45,000 companies.
As of 2011 the company ranked 28th out of the top 125 in the United States by Training Magazine.
Labor practices
Controversy occurred at the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
when labor union SEIU attempted to unionize AlliedBarton guards at Penn in 2006, but the union met with resistance. Since then, AlliedBarton employees have remained without a union and have been working with Jobs with Justice
Jobs with Justice
Jobs with Justice is a national campaign for workers' rights in the United States. It was founded in 1987, and includes both individual members and affiliated organizations....
to help get benefits and higher pay from the University. The SEIU agreed not to unionize the guards in return for Allied Barton agreeing to be neutral during labor strikes Pennsylvania.
AlliedBarton also employs guards at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, who have been unable to organize, in part because federal labor law has provisions permitting an employer not to recognize a union that represents both security officers and other workers.
AlliedBarton has also been accused of discrimination. In Abdul-Rahman v. AlliedBarton, AlliedBarton agreed to pay $7,000 to Mr. Abdul-Rahman over a discrimination claim. There is also a pending lawsuit (Braithwaite v. AlliedBarton) in New York federal district court over discrimination.
A lawsuit was filed on June 24, 2011 in Ohio for unfair labor practices by AlliedBarton.
Other issues
A security guard allegedly exposed himselfExhibitionism
Exhibitionism refers to a desire or compulsion to expose parts of one's body – specifically the genitals or buttocks of a man or woman, or the breasts of a woman – in a public or semi-public circumstance, in crowds or groups of friends or acquaintances, or to strangers...
to a student at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
and was subsequently fired
Termination
Termination may refer to:In science:*Termination codon, in molecular biology*Termination factor, in genetics, part of the process of transcribing RNA...
.
A lawsuit claims that the city of Atlanta wasn’t playing fair when it turned down a contract worth about $3.5 million to handle security at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
The suit, filed in Fulton County Superior Court, contends that city officials colluded with Allied Barton Security Services LLC of Conshohocken, Pa., to shut out competition — even after the new company was told it won the bid. .
A negligence lawsuit was filed in November 2010 by the fiancée of Otis Beckford, who was killed in the November 6, 2009, shooting in downtown Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. The lawsuit states that Beckford's employer and AlliedBarton, the security firm at the Gateway Center office building where the shooting occurred, should have anticipated an attack by shooting suspect Jason Rodriguez one year ago and been better prepared for his violent return. The claim further says that an AlliedBarton guard spotted Rodriguez in the parking garage on the day of the shootings and left his station to look for the man. "It is unknown if this security guard notified [RS&H] that Jason Rodriguez was again on the property", the claim says.
It goes on to say Rodriguez then passed an empty security desk that should have been occupied, entered an elevator and went up to the RS&H office, shooting six and killing Beckford. The claim says AlliedBarton "had a duty to place the entire building on notice" that Rodriguez was on the premises.
"Despite their knowledge of Jason Rodriguez's violent propensities and dangerous nature, Allied Barton failed to properly communicate his presence to Reynolds and failed to maintain their security position … thereby allowing Jason Rodriguez to reach the elevators and the defendant, Reynolds', office," the claim states.
Because of the security firm's negligence, the lawsuit says, Beckford "was injured and killed.".
In July of 2011, Nkosi Thandiwe, a security guard employed by Allied Barton was arrested for the shootings of three Atlanta women, one of whom died.