Full Breakdown
Bay Area Security Guards Walk Out Over Pay, Benefits and Working Conditions
By Drooid · · How we work
Bay Area Security Guard Strike Begins
On Friday morning, roughly 14,000 security officers employed by contractors such as Allied Universal, Securitas, GardaWorld, Prosegur and others stopped work across the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. The walkout, organized by the Service Employees International Union-United Service Workers West (SEIU-USWW), started at 4:30 a.m. and targets sites ranging from luxury retailers to the campuses of Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Nvidia, Cisco and Netflix.
Background and Union Demands
Workers are pressing for a wage floor of $30 per hour, a substantial increase from the median $20 per hour reported by the union and a UC Berkeley study. They also seek better health-care benefits, more comprehensive training and safer on-the-job conditions. In contrast, several contractors have offered a modest $0.65 raise spread over two years.
Data and Statistics
- Number of striking workers: ? 14,000 security officers (union estimate).
- Current median hourly wage: about $20 per hour (union-cited UC Berkeley research).
- Desired wage floor: $30 per hour.
- Proposed raise from contractors: $0.65 over two years.
- Living-cost gap: Union data indicate roughly 80 % of guards cannot meet basic living expenses.
Official Statements & Responses
A spokesperson for the union indicated that mediation sessions are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, and that a march through downtown San Francisco is planned for Friday morning.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We're guarding multibillion buildings, and we're getting, like, a small fraction of what we believe we deserve to get paid," Max Garibay said.” — Max Garibay, striking security guard
- “And these are folks that are securing the some of the wealthiest corporations and in the world, we got folks securing Apple, Google, meta," Garla said.” — Sanjay Garla, SEIU-USWW vice president
- “Right now, our minimum rate in San Francisco in our contract is less than $2 over minimum wage,” — Sanjay Garla, SEIU-USWW vice president
- “I’ve been assaulted at work. I’ve been robbed at work. I’ve been held at gunpoint at work. I’ve saved people’s lives. I’ve found a dead body,” — Adams, striking security officer
- “We're asking Allied and the other security companies to stop playing games, come to the table, and settle a strong contract with real raises, better training, and respect for the officers who keep these buildings safe,” — Christopher Yates, Allied Universal security officer
- “We have made substantial progress in negotiations as part of our commitment to finding common ground,” — Allied Universal
What’s Next
The union has slated mediation to begin on Wednesday, with additional bargaining sessions planned for Thursday. A march through downtown San Francisco is set for Friday morning, and the strike is expected to continue until a contract addressing the wage, benefit and training demands is reached. Companies that rely on contracted security have not announced work-from-home mandates, but the walkout could disrupt office operations and events if it persists.