Security at federal courts to be laid off

Union: All employees likely will be rehired by incoming company

Court security personnel working under a contract with Centerra at some federal appeals courthouses in Connecticut will have their employment end on Sept. 30, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, or WARN notice, submitted to the state.

The notice of end of employment is for 63 people, and the notice accounts for 59 court security officers, a district supervisor, two lead court security officers and a senior lead court security officer, the notice says.

Barry Lane, Office of Public Affairs U.S. Marshals Service, said a new contract was awarded July 28 for security services in the Federal Judicial Circuit in the 2nd Circuit to Metropolitan Security Services, Inc. DBA Walden Security.

The WARN notice signed by Brooke Wood, senior human resources manager for Centerra, says the company’s contract ends Sept. 30 and the following constitutes available information concerning this action:

All personnel working on the USMS 2nd Circuit Court in Connecticut are affected and will have their employment end on Sept. 30.

This separation from employment is expected to be permanent and employees will not have bumping rights to another position.

Employees will be paid through the last date of employment in accordance with state law.

The number of affected employees: 63

The notice includes federal courthouse locations in Hartford, New Haven and Bridgeport.

The Centerra notice said the employees are represented by a union, listing the Association of Court Security Officers of Connecticut. Michael Quinn, union vice president and spokesman, said all of the employees are likely to be hired by the new company that comes in to take the contract, as has been his experience for about 15 years.

“We’ve been contacted by the new company,” he said. “Technically we’re out of work … we get employed by the new company that comes in.”

Quinn said the contract is filled though a bidding process and Centerra “must have lost the bid.”

Ideally, “we won’t skip a beat,” Quinn said.