Cafeteria workers at Intel’s Santa Clara campus voted overwhelmingly to unionize and be represented by UNITE HERE Local 19.
Following key wins by janitors, security officers and shuttle bus drivers, this victory for food service workers — the fastest growing subcontracted industry that serves the tech sector — breaks new ground for Silicon Valley Rising, an unprecedented campaign across these low-wage industries to combat occupational segregation in the tech industry.
This victory for the workers at Intel, employed by a contractor called Eurest, represents a major new breakthrough in the larger effort by Silicon Valley’s workers and communities to build an inclusive middle class in the region. It comes after a year-long effort by these workers — whose green badges signified they couldn’t access the services available to blue-badged direct employees — to organize for decent wages, respect, and a voice at work.
Intel barista Maria Guadalupe Guerrero said, “If you are being disrespected or discriminated against, I’m here to tell you that you can have a voice at work. You can stand up for your rights and go to work with your head held high.”
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