Security workers who guard OpenAI and Anthropic vote to authorize strike
Unionized security workers at major AI companies have voted to authorize a strike amid stalled contract negotiations, pushing for a $30 minimum wage and expanded benefits.
Unionized security workers who guard the offices of some of Silicon Valley's most prominent artificial intelligence companies have voted to authorize a strike, signaling a potential work stoppage if contract negotiations continue to stall. The workers, represented by SEIU-United Service Workers West, provide building security at major tech firms including OpenAI, Anthropic, Salesforce, and Google.
The union has been bargaining with security contractors Allied Universal and Securitas. On Wednesday, workers picketed in San Francisco to protest what they describe as inadequate pay offers. The union is pushing for a $30 minimum wage and expanded benefits, arguing that current wages do not cover the high cost of living in the Bay Area.
According to the union, after 19 bargaining sessions, Allied Universal has proposed a wage increase of only 25 cents an hour in 2027, with no raises for the next three years. SEIU-USWW president David Huerta called the offer “shameful, wrong, and deeply, deeply disrespectful.”
The vote comes at a time when security has become an increasingly critical concern for AI companies. Tech executives, including OpenAI's Sam Altman, have faced multiple attempted attacks in recent months. Police in San Francisco have fielded numerous threats against employees of OpenAI and Anthropic, according to the Wall Street Journal, and some companies have begun investing in armed guards. Firms like Palantir, Oracle, and Salesforce increased their security spending by millions of dollars in 2025.
In anticipation of a potential strike, Anthropic employees were instructed to work from home last week, as Business Insider reported. Anthropic reportedly maintains robust security protocols and communicates openly with employees about potential threats. Huerta noted that Anthropic's response demonstrates how essential these workers are, saying, “Clearly Anthropic understands how indispensable security workers are, even if the companies bargaining with them don't.”
This is not the first time ancillary workers at tech companies have used labor actions to pressure employers. Janitors in San Francisco have walked off the job in response to layoffs at Meta and Twitter in recent years, and food service workers have protested over contract negotiations that failed to produce meaningful raises.
As security services become more vital to AI companies, workers may gain greater leverage in negotiations. Huerta previously framed the stakes in stark terms: “We invite workers at Anthropic and elsewhere to consider who will protect them if security officers can't afford to live here.”
