Silicon Valley is the epicenter of tremendous innovation and unimaginable wealth. Yet, among the affluence exists an often-ignored detail. Lower to middle-income jobs are almost impossible to find in the tech world.
That’s because the industry consistently
subcontracts these jobs just to increase its bottom line. Since contract works aren't directly employed by the corporation, they're generally subject to less access to healthcare and lower pay. They are almost always people of color.
For all the conscientious social justice work that companies like Apple, Facebook and Uber are attempting to do, income inequality is right under their noses and they aren’t addressing it.
Sign the petition and
ask Silicon Valley to work towards constructing a more equal economy and stop subcontracting its lower to middle-income jobs.
The tech industry has long been criticized for failing to
recruit Black and Latino people as direct employees, yet, these same groups
make up 58% of the subcontracted workforce.
Instead of a living wage, these
workers are earning an average income of $19,900 in a city with a median home
price of $1.05 million. Why shouldn’t cleaning personnel, bus drivers,
cafeteria workers and gardeners have access to the same privileges and benefits
that other employees at corporations like Amazon do? It’s time to change this.
Sign the petition and
ask Silicon Valley to stop subcontracting it lower and middle-income employees.
Work towards more income inclusivity, now.
More information
The Guardian. 30 March 2016.
Recode. 8 February 2017.