Bay Area workers who pack and ship goods for Google Express voted to unionize on Friday afternoon, the latest win by labor activists promising to lift the wages and conditions of Silicon Valley s contract workforce.
The 151 workers employed by Google contractor Adecco will now be joining the Teamsters Local 853, the same union that has organized shuttle bus drivers who ferry tech workers to and from their jobs at Facebook, Apple, Yahoo, eBay, Zynga and Genentech.
The workers for Google s same-day delivery service called the Teamsters a few months ago complaining of low wages and poor conditions at their Palo Alto warehouse, including lack of ventilation, damaged equipment, cracked floors and a failing electrical system.
It s surprising that workers who warehouse and ship for Google Express would be subjected to such Third World conditions, said Rome Aloise, International Vice President and principal officer of Local 853, in a statement Friday.
Google declined comment and Adecco could not immediately be reached for comment late Friday.
Re/code reported earlier this week that Google Express is shutting down its two delivery hubs in Mountain View and San Francisco, a possible contraction of the service.
Above: Google Shopping Express driver Ashley Beach drove away with packages of merchandise to be delivered from Palo Alto Sport Shop & Toy World in Palo Alto, Calif. on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013. Google at the time had about about 50 delivery cars on the streets, but has since expanded. (Gary Reyes/Bay Area News Group)
