Google finally put security guards on their payroll, letting go of outside contractors which deepened the wage gap between two kinds of Google employees. Facebook is now coming under fire after a letter to Mark Zuckerberg emerged in which attention was drawn to Facebook’s shuttle drivers and how hard it is for them to make a living in the Facebook environment.
Facebook’s Shuttle Drivers
Facebook uses a company called Loop Transportation to hire shuttle drivers that transport Facebook workers to the Facebook campus in Menlo Park, California. If you’re thinking that it’s a sweet job, think again. The Facebook shuttle drivers are being paid $18 to $20 an hour, which isn’t enough to sustain a family in the California area.
Principal Officer of the Teamsters Union branch in Northern California, Rome Aloise, is speaking on behalf of Facebook’s shuttle drivers about the blatant inequality and the need for reform. He is encouraging the drivers to seek union representation and has even go so far as to write an open letter to Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. Here’s an excerpt of the letter:
While your employees earn extraordinary wages and are able to live and enjoy life in some of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the Bay Area, these drivers can’t afford to support a family, send their children to school, or, least of all, afford to even dream of buying a house anywhere near where they work. This is reminiscent of a time when noblemen were driven around in their coaches by their servants.
Zuckerberg is asked to encourage Loop Transportation to recognize a union for Facebook’s shuttle drivers, so that they can fight for a fair contract. Up until now, Facebook hasn’t released any comments or statements on this.
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