Thousands of California Security Guards Strike Against Major Contractors

Major Tech Giants and Retailers Affected by Security Walkout

The strike impacts security personnel assigned to high-profile facilities, luxury retailers, hospitals, and transit hubs. According to union statements cited by ABC7, the striking guards provide security for companies including Amazon, Microsoft, Salesforce, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Nvidia, Cisco, and Netflix. Anthropic advised employees in its San Francisco offices to prepare to work from home due to security concerns connected to the strike, as reported by ABC7. The labor action follows recent security incidents in the region, including an April event where security confronted a man accused of attacking OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s San Francisco home, followed days later by an Anthropic security guard stopping a man carrying a threat against an executive.

Contractor Responses and Ongoing Mediation Efforts

The striking guards work for security contractors such as Allied Universal, Securitas, PalAmerican, GardaWorld, Prosegur, and others. According to the union, several large security contractors offered workers a $0.65 raise over the next two years. Allied Universal issued a statement regarding the situation, noting, While we do not comment on ongoing labor negotiations, our priority remains supporting our employees and delivering for our clients. We continue to closely monitor the situation and remain focused on maintaining safe and reliable operations. Allied Universal Inter-Con Security also addressed the labor dispute, stating, We at Inter-Con Security are aware of the impending strike by the SEIU-USWW against several of the other large security employers in California. Mediation proceedings involving the union were scheduled to begin at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, ahead of Friday’s coordinated strike action across the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles.