California Tech Security Guards Strike for Better Pay and Working Conditions

Thousands of security guards at major tech companies in California have gone on strike, demanding better pay and working conditions. The strike began early Friday morning, just as the annual Dreamforce conference came to a close in San Francisco.

The guards work for contracted security companies including Allied Universal, GardaWorld, and Securitas, which provide services to tech firms like Salesforce, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and Meta. The union representing the guards is seeking wages of $30 an hour, up from the current rate of around $20 an hour.

The Service Employees International Union has accused the security companies of engaging in bad-faith bargaining, illegally surveilling guards, and unfairly retaliating against employees. The strike affects around 14,000 security guards across California.