Workers who guard the offices of OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Salesforce, and other tech companies have voted to authorize a strike if necessary.
They're mostly employed by third-party security contractors such as Allied Universal and Securitas. No strike has been called yet — whether, and when, they walk out will depend on how the contract talks go.
The two sides have been bargaining for months. SEIU-USWW, which represents about 14,000 security officers in the San Francisco Bay Area, Silicon Valley, and Los Angeles County, is asking for a $30 minimum hourly wage, expanded family health coverage, retirement benefits, and stronger job security. The union says the employers' current offer would raise pay by only 25 cents per hour over four years, with no increase at all in three of those years.
The standoff is already affecting AI companies' workplaces. Last week, after receiving a strike warning from Allied Universal, Anthropic closed its San Francisco office and told employees to work from home. Union members hadn't yet voted to authorize a strike then. Now they have.
OpenAI and Anthropic have both faced security threats targeting employees in recent years, and tech companies have been ramping up physical security.