Silicon Valley shuttle drivers vote to unionize
(AP)—Shuttle drivers who ferry tech workers between Silicon Valley and San Francisco have voted for union representation.
The San Francisco Chronicle reports (tinyurl.com/nf3ltp2) that drivers working for Compass Transportation voted 104-38 in favor of joining the Teamsters union Friday. They voted at secret polling booths set up at several locations near driver rest areas in South San Francisco and San Jose.
The company drives workers to Apple, Yahoo, eBay, Zynga and Genentech. Drivers who serve Facebook voted earlier to unionize.
Union leaders said that tech shuttle drivers are underpaid, overworked and unfairly compensated for time spent on the job.
"We need wages commensurate with what it costs to live in this area, but it's not just about wages," Tracy Kelley, a Compass driver, said in a statement. "It's about having better working conditions."
Compass Transportation did not respond to requests for comment.
San Francisco city officials said tech companies have obtained 500 permits to use public bus stops to pick up and drop off passengers.
Google was the first tech company to provide shuttle service to workers who live in San Francisco to its Mountain View campus.
The first buses made just two stops in the city and carried 155 passengers. Now more than a third of Google's employees in Mountain View catch a shuttle to work.
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