SAN FRANCISCO, CA--Encouraged by tech company Yelp's decision to drop security firm Security Industry Specialists (SIS) in favor of a more socially responsible contractor, security officers intent on reducing Silicon Valley's growing income divide called on fellow tech company Square to follow suit at a rally outside the company's San Francisco office Wednesday afternoon.

"We're here to ask tech companies like Square, Inc. to do the right thing," says SIS security officer Manny Cardenas. "Contracting with responsible security firms that provide their employees the freedom to form unions is one way companies can help to reduce the worsening income inequality the tech industry is known for." San Francisco-based Yelp's decision to replace SIS with another security firm due to negative reviews is the latest in a series of developments highlighting the growing debate about the impact of Silicon Valley's tech industry on economic inequality in the San Francisco Bay Area. "Firms like SIS contract to provide security personnel and services to companies," says security officer Keith Ward, a member of SEIU-USWW. "Unfortunately, SIS prefers to employ part-time workers who don't earn enough to support their families and who have to rely on public assistance, because they don't qualify for benefits. This is completely contrary to our values here in the Bay Area, and it's just plain wrong." SIS has settled lawsuits with numerous security officers in Santa Clara and Alameda Counties who have sued the company for labor violations over the past few years. The latest is Cardenas, who is planning to file a complaint against SIS with California's Division of Labor Standards Enforcement for wage and hour violations. Cardenas, like many security officers in Silicon Valley, is representative of a group of residents being priced out of the region by growing economic inequality. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times highlighted the role of Silicon Valley's hi-tech firms in diminishing economic diversity in the San Francisco Bay Area. According to the report, homelessness has increased 20% in the last two years, and food stamp participation is at a 10-year high.