Facebook approves shuttle drivers contract

Facebook and the shuttle drivers who transport employees to and from its Menlo Park, Calif., campus agreed on a union-negotiated contract Thursday.

The contract offers “life-changing improvements” for Loop Transportation’s drivers, including 11 paid holidays, up to five weeks’ paid vacation, guaranteed hours, fully paid healthcare, a minimum six-hour day for workers who can’t split shifts, and some wage increases, according to Teamsters Local 853.

Under the contract, the average pay for workers will be $27.50 an hour, up from $18 an hour.

Rome Aloise, the union’s international vice president and secretary-treasurer, said the drivers at Loop “are paving the way for other shuttle drivers in Silicon Valley to come together and improve their lives.”

Already, they have helped highlight the income disparity between those who drive the buses and those who ride them to work, putting pressure on other Silicon Valley companies like Google and Apple to increase wages and benefits for their private shuttle bus drivers.

The drivers at Loop drivers successfully voted to unionize and join Teamsters Local 853 in November last year. The decision was fueled by the drivers’ long work hours; split shifts that resulted in long, unpaid stretches; and wages so low they couldn’t buy homes near their jobs.

Twitter: @traceylien