Security guards, including at S.F. tech offices, plan to strike over low pay
An Allied Universal security guard stands outside of the San Francisco Immigration Court in San Francisco, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025.
TL;DR
- Approximately 14,000 unionized security officers in California plan to strike on Friday.
- The strike is a protest against low wages and alleged unfair labor practices by top security contractors.
- Unionized officers in the Bay Area and Los Angeles voted to authorize the strike.
- Union allegations include bad-faith bargaining, surveillance, retaliatory discipline, and illegal interference with workers' rights.
- Companies involved include Allied Universal, Securitas, PalAmerican, GardaWorld, Prosegur, and Inter-Con.
- The officers guard facilities for major companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta, as well as hospitals and transit hubs.
- Contractors offered a 65-cent per hour raise over two years, which the union deems insufficient given the risks involved.
- A UC Berkeley analysis shows California security officers earn a median hourly wage of $20.09, significantly lower than the state's general worker median of $28.16.
- Only half of the security officers have access to employer-provided or union health insurance.
- The turnover rate for California security officers is 91.6%, compared to 63.5% for the state's private sector.