by - More than 100 shuttle bus employees hired by Meta (formerly Facebook) are being laid off, records show.
- Meta said it is adjusting transportation services “to better reflect the needs” of its hybrid workforce.
- The shift to remote work has caused Silicon Valley service workers to lose their in-person jobs.
Bus drivers who ferry Meta employees to and from the office are the latest Silicon Valley workers to face layoffs as the social media giant cuts costs and doubles down on remote work.
Hallcon Corporation and WeDriveU, two transportation contractors used by Facebook’s parent company, announced they will cut 63 and 97 jobs, respectively, by the end of November, according to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, letters filed with the federal government. California Department of Labor. .
The layoffs comprise a third of Meta’s ferry driver workforce, according to Teamsters Local 853, the union that represents the affected drivers.
Chris Rolletta, WeDriveU’s vice president of human resources, said in a WARN letter that the job cuts are a result “of our customer’s transportation services being reduced,” but did not mention Meta by name, SiliconValley reported. com.
A Meta spokesperson told Insider that the company has adjusted on-site services, including transportation programs, “to better reflect the needs of its hybrid workforce.”
The move is the latest development to show how Big Tech’s widespread adoption of remote work is translating into layoffs for Silicon Valley’s in-person service workers. In September, nearly 100 janitors employed at Meta offices in California were laid off, MarketWatch reported.
Meta’s 250-acre headquarters in Menlo Park contains more than 30 buildings, with permits worth more than $1 billion.
NOAH BERGER/AFP via Getty Images)
Starting in June 2021, any full-time Meta employee whose job responsibilities can be completed online can apply to become a fully remote worker. Otherwise, employees are expected to spend at least half of their time in the office.
Remote work is being embraced by top executives at the company (including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who spends much of his time at his compound in Hawaii). But the lifestyle isn’t accessible to many Americans who “#needjobsIRL,” Teamsters Local 853 argues, as most hybrid or remote positions are filled by college graduates.
In August, cafeteria workers, bus drivers and janitors in Meta protested the recent wave of layoffs, arguing that tech industry service workers deserve better job security, health care and fair wages, especially after two years of being considered “essential workers” during a global pandemic.
“For the last few years… technology has been thriving thanks to all of us,” Silicon Valley Rising campaign manager Maria Noel Fernandez said at the protest, according to Almanac News.
Teamsters Local 853 is asking Meta to “rescind their layoffs and order their employees back to work, not only for the shuttle drivers, but also for the janitors, cafeteria workers, and security guards who are also being affected.”
“Unlike other Silicon Valley companies, Meta has refused to mandate that its employees return to work on the main campus. While the company generously supported its contract workforce during the pandemic, they are the first to announce harsh layoffs,” the union said in a statement. statement.
Are you a bus driver, cafeteria worker, janitor or security guard hired by a Big Tech company? Email this reporter at htowey@insider.com from a non-work address to share your story.
