Union members rallied at Google Thursday to protest working conditions for guards at the Internet giant.
UPDATE 11:48 a.m. SEIU reports tentative agreement was reached Thursday night on a contract for the 5,000 Bay Area workers and will be presented to membership for a vote next week. Los Angeles security officers will return to the bargaining table next week, according to SEIU.
Negotiations are continuing in an effort to avoid a security guard strike that could affect 5,000 workers in the Bay Area and 2,000 in Los Angeles, labor groups say.
The Service Employees International Union released a statement this week that security officers have overwhelmingly authorized their elected bargaining committee to call a strike.
Dozens rallied on Google’s Mountain View campus Thursday to protest working conditions and what they say is an anti-union environment for contract security guards at the tech behemoth.
Demonstrators protested Google’s use of non-union security contractors who they say don’t provide their employees with enough working hours to make a living.
Activists accuse the Google contractor, Security Industry Specialists, of employing 80 percent of its workforce as part-time employees who don’t qualify for benefits or sick days. They also say the company has hampered employee’s attempts to form a union.
SFBay calls for comment from Google Inc., SIS and ABM Security were not returned.
Wednesday night, nine people including union leaders were arrested during a protest march through downtown San Francisco as demonstrators blocked the intersection of First and Market streets.
Those arrested Wednesday night included members of the San Francisco Labor Council, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, Service Employees International Union Local 87 and SEIU Local USWW.
Demonstrators say they are participating in an ongoing effort for improved access to health care for workers as well as broader rights for workers to unionize.
ABM Security Officer Keven Adams said in a statement released by SEIU:
“It’s good news that our employers are talking to us again. But over the past six months we’ve seen that even when we’re at the table, they can drag things out, delaying the creation of good jobs that our communities need now.”
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