SAN JOSE, Calif (KCBS) - Some 6,000 union janitors in the Silicon Valley have voted to authorize a strike, which could impact some of the highest profile tech companies in the area.
Members of Service Employees International Union, Local 1877, who work at Google, IBM, and Yahoo, voted overwhelmingly Saturday to authorize their bargaining committee to call a strike, after bargaining talks broke down. That means a walkout could come at any time.
"They're working two and three jobs to survive, they're forced to pay out of pocket for medical care, and over half of them don't even have family medical care because they have a two and a half year waiting period," said Union President Mike Garcia.
The union's main point of contention is over an offered pay raise that is only half of what SEIU janitors in Southern California were given. According to the SEIU, a typical janitor in Silicon Valley makes about $23,000 a year.
Contract negotiators with management have been unavailable for comment.
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KCBS' Chris Filippi reports
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