Apple Inc. has come under heavy criticism recently for inhumane working conditions suffered by subcontracted employees, especially those at Apple supplier Foxconn in China. To its credit, the company is trying to solve the problem by pushing for stronger unions there.1

You may not read about them in the headlines, but here at home in the US Apple also has subcontracted employees, an estimated 250 private security officers employed by Security Industry Specialists (SIS).

SIS officers interviewed by SEIU claim they work part-time, lack quality healthcare, and are paid wages far too low to keep up with the cost of living in Silicon Valley. The workers claim their hours change constantly, making family life difficult. For these workers the prosperous Silicon Valley--once known as "The Valley of Heart's Delight"--has become a valley of heartbreak. Like their Foxconn counterparts in China, Security Industry Specialists are trying to form a strong union--without management interference. Management at Security Industry Specialists wants to keep things the way they are. In 2012 workers filed a complaint against the company alleging that managers attended workers' meetings in an attempt to intimidate them into not forming a union, a charge which the Federal government investigated--and substantiated. Meanwhile Apple has never been wealthier. The Cupertino-based company netted more than $41 billion in 20122, when the tech giant became the most valuable company of all time, with a market-value of more than $623 billion.3 It is this sort of economic disparity--the difference between the wealthiest one percent and the rest of us who produce that wealth--that has Americans angry. No doubt Apple can do better. But will it? Silicon Valley security officers may have an important ally, Apple CEO Tim Cook. In 2012 Cook said, "Workers everywhere have the right to a safe and fair work environment."4 This should apply at Apple's own Silicon Valley headquarters. It's time for Apple to stop using bad apple security contractor Security Industry Specialists in Silicon Valley. ------------------ 1: http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/04/investing/foxconn-china-union/index.html 2: http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2012/10/25Apple-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-Results.html 3: http://money.cnn.com/2012/08/20/technology/apple-most-valuable-company/index.html 4: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17017289