Harbor East security guards are planning a strike and rally downtown Thursday in protest of what they say are anti-union measures taken by the Baltimore office of their Kentucky employer.
Union organizers said Brantley Security temporarily suspended an employee after she tried to present the firm with a petition of worker concerns, saying her hairstyle was against the firm's policies. After the incident, the firm also sent an memo forbidding workers from returning to work premises outside of their shifts, they said.
Brantley employs 70-80 people as security guards in the tony Harbor East buildings, according to Service Employees International Union local 32BJ, which has been trying to form a union there for about a year. The property services union this month filed a charge with the National Labor Relations Board over the incidents. The 2 p.m. strike is to be followed by a rally and march.
Brantley did not respond to requests for comment made to local office or attorney. The Harbor East Management Group also did not respond to requests for comment.