Silicon Valley workers are starting to become the enemy of San Francisco. First reports came out surrounding Google workers paying higher rent than others to stay in places close to Mountain View. Now, Facebook's shuttle service has formed a union to avoid exploitation.

Drivers voted 43-28 in favor of creating a union for the Teamsters Local 853, a shuttle service provided by Loop Transportation. The 87 drivers are looking for some "common sense" changes to how the service is run.

Like Us on Facebook

The main issue is overtime as Facebook shuttle drivers regularly start the day at 6 a.m. and do not finish the day until 9:45 pm, without getting paid for overtime. Drivers claim they are working six hours extra with no overtime payment.

Drivers also want to see a pay rise for shuttling the Facebook employees back and forth from work. The union gives the comparison of nobles and servants, claiming Facebook employees make so much money, while drivers get along on scraps.

Facebook has retorted that this issue lies with the bus company, not the social network. Wages and time off cannot be handled by a third party, which is true in many cases. But Facebook might have more authority on its own private shuttle.

The drivers union appeals to the social network, claiming if anyone has the money to increase drivers wages, it is Facebook. However, Facebook seems unlikely to budge and if push comes to shove, Facebook could always look for another shuttle service.

It is becoming an increasingly hostile environment in Silicon Valley for the tech community, especially coders and engineers, working for companies like Google and Facebook. These relatively young adults are making double the average wage, giving them enough disposable income to pay more rent, pushing out previous tenants.

Startups are coming to Silicon Valley more than ever to pave a place in the tech community. Google and Facebook are not going to stop acquiring engineers to work at their HQ, meaning this housing crisis and payment disparity is not going away anytime soon.

TagsLoop Transportation, Teamsters Local 953, private shuttle, San Francisco, unions