Bay Area Security Workers Threaten Action After Anthropic Office Closure - KQED

News Bay Area Security Workers Threaten Action After Anthropic Office Closure Union security workers in the Bay Area are seeking better pay and benefits after their contract expired in June. Aug 28, 2026 Updated 11:28 am PT Ella Jackson The Salesforce Tower is seen reflected in windows of 500 Howard Street, where AI firm Anthropic subleased Slack's office, in downtown San Francisco, California, on Oct. 19, 2023. A shutdown of a tech office over a “possible strike” highlights private security officers’ concerns over safety and wages. (Loren Elliott for The Washington Post via Getty Images) Days after Anthropic’s offices closed due to a “possible strike” by security workers, union representatives said they are ready to “take any action necessary” to secure a fair contract. Though the union representing some security officers has not authorized any action at this time, Anthropic, the San Francisco -based artificial intelligence giant, asked its employees to work from home earlier this week, after a heads-up about ongoing negotiations from Allied Universal, an international security firm that works with the tech company. “Clearly Anthropic understands how indispensable security workers are, even if the companies bargaining with them don’t,” David Huerta, president of Service Employees International Union — United Service Workers West, told KQED on Thursday. Related Article The union’s current contract with Allied Universal, and seven other private firms, expired on June 30. They’ve been negotiating a new contract for months, but after 19 bargaining sessions, Huerta said that the company’s current offer — a 25-cent-an-hour raise with no raises for the next three years — is “shameful, wrong and deeply, deeply disrespectful.” At an April rally in San Francisco, union security workers described struggling with the cost of living in the Bay Area, needing better benefits and wanting more training. They also detailed the mental and physical toll it takes to be the first line of defense in crises. There are currently over 330,000 private security guards in California compared to 90,000 badged police officers, Huerta said in April. Security guards currently make significantly less than police officers — earning a $21.61 annual mean wage compared to $53.74 for police officers in 2023. Allied Universal, which employs 770,000 people globally, told KQED that they could not comment on ongoing labor negotiations. The company’s website said that it partners with more than 400 Fortune 500 companies. “Security officers protect the people and property of some of the wealthiest and most powerful companies in the world,” Huerta said. “We invite workers at Anthropic and elsewhere to consider who will protect them if security officers can’t afford to live here.” KQED’s Sara Hossaini contributed to this report.