Silicon Valley security guards ratify union contract.

Workers at companies such as Facebook and Google secure pay hike, improved health care benefits and more with first union contract

Thousands of security guards for some of Silicon Valley’s biggest tech companies ratified their first union contract over the weekend, in what they called a good first step after years of organizing efforts.

The valley’s tech companies employ some of the highest-wage workers in the Bay Area. But the workers who guard, clean and serve food at the companies’ shiny headquarters have long struggled to make ends meet in a high-priced region. In the past few years, those who have sought better working conditions and joined unions included cafeteria workers and shuttle drivers.

The security guards’ contract comes after more than five years of organizing and bargaining with four security contractors that provide guards for Facebook, Google, Genentech and others, the Service Employees International Union announced Monday. The group, consisting of 3,000 security officers, is the largest group of service workers to unionize in Silicon Valley, union spokesman Stephen Boardman said.

“Our officers are seeing significant improvements, but they still have a long way to go before they’re making enough to survive in Silicon Valley,” Boardman said Monday.

Many of the guards were making starting wages of $12 to $14 an hour — although some made more, depending on where they work — and will see immediate wage increases, with total increases of up to $1.20 by January, the union said. The guards also negotiated improved health care

benefits, and secured paid holidays for the first time. In addition, they won disciplinary protections and a right to grievance procedures.

In June, dozens of security guards protested their “poverty-level” wages in San Jose. Some of them said they were homeless and living in their cars.

One such worker, Elizabeth, said Monday that she remains homeless because she pays for a room for her autistic brother — but that the newly reached contract should help.

“I have some hope for

the future,” she said. She is on the bargaining committee, and asked that her last name not be used because she fears retaliation from her employer or subcontractor.

The guards will see a boost in their health care benefits: 75 percent to 85 percent of health costs will be paid by their employers by the end of the four-year contract.

Elizabeth said health care is what drove many of the guards to vote for the contract.

“The medical benefits were just as important, if not more important, for some workers,” she said. In her case, she said she won’t have to work 16-hour days every day “once the medical

benefits kick in.”

“When you’re making $13.50 an hour, like I was, it’s a disaster when you have to pay out of pocket” for medical costs, Elizabeth said.

The SEIU also will continue to try to organize those who have not joined yet. There are still at least a couple of subcontractors that have not gotten on board with “recognizing their workers’ rights to unionize,” Boardman said. They include Security Industry Specialists, which employs security officers who work at Apple, he said.

A majority of Apple’s security personnel are employees, an Apple spokeswoman said.

Eric Murphy, a security

guard for Facebook employed by subcontractor Allied Universal, said Monday that despite the union’s gains through bargaining with the contractors, more work needs to be done.

“I think Facebook is still failing to meet its responsibilities to the community,” Murphy said. “Our next step now is to go to them directly.” He said although he works for Allied, Facebook sets his working standards and conditions. He wears a Facebookbranded uniform.

In the past, Facebook has said employing certain workers through contractors is “standard for our industry.” In 2015, the Menlo Park company instituted a $15 minimum wage for its contract workers.

“Facebook values the partnership with our security providers and we greatly appreciate our Security Officers and the tremendous work they do every day to keep our people and offices safe and secure,” a spokesman said Monday in an emailed statement.

Of the four subcontractor companies the union reached a contract with, Cypress Security and Allied Universal confirmed the news. G4S and Securitas did not respond to a request for comment Monday.