Remote Work Leaves Meta Shuttle-Bus Drivers, Janitors Jobless

• More than 100 shuttle-bus staff contracted by Meta (formerly Facebook) are being let go, records show.
• Meta said it’s 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 shuttle Meta employees to and from the office are the latest Silicon Valley workers facing layoffs as the social media giant cuts costs and doubles down on remote work.

Hallcon Corporation and WeDriveU — two transportation contractors used by the Facebook parent company — announced they will be cutting 63 and 97 jobs respectively by the end of November, according to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, letters filed with the California Department of Labor.

The layoffs comprise one-third of Meta’s shuttle driving workforce, according to Teamsters Local 853, the union representing the impacted drivers. 

Chris Rolletta, vice president of human resources at WeDriveU, said in a WARN letter that the job cuts are a result “of our client’s reduction of transportation services,” but did not mention Meta by name, SiliconValley.com reported. 

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 showcasing how Big Tech’s widespread adoption of remote work is translating to layoffs for Silicon Valley’s in-person service workers. In September, nearly 100 janitors employed at Meta’s California offices were terminated, MarketWatch reported. 

As June 2021, any full-time Meta employees whose job responsibilities can be completed online can apply to become a fully-remote worker. Otherwise, employees are expected to spend at least half their time in the office.

Remote work is being embraced by the company’s top executives (including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who spends much of his time at his compound in Hawaii). But the lifestyle is not accessible to many Americans who “#needjobsIRL,” Teamsters Local 853 argues, as the majority of hybrid or remote positions are held by college graduates.

In August, Meta cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and janitors protested the recent wave of layoffs, arguing that the tech industry’s service workers deserve improved job security, healthcare, and fair wages, especially after two years of being considered “essential workers” during a global pandemic.

“Over the last several years … tech has been thriving on the backs of all of us,” Silicon Valley Rising campaign director Maria Noel Fernandez said at the protest, according to Almanac News.  

Teamsters Local 853 is asking Meta to “rescind its layoffs and mandate that its employees return to work, not only for the shuttle drivers, but for the janitors, cafeteria workers, and security guards who are also being impacted.”

“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 contracted workforce during the pandemic, they are the first to announce severe layoffs,” the union said in a statement. 

Are you a bus driver, cafeteria worker, janitor, or security guard contracted by a Big Tech company? Email this reporter at htowey@insider.com from a non-work address to share your story.