Blog: Innovation and Opportunity in Silicon Valley

Statement

This week, I traveled to Silicon Valley to continue the conversation on the future of work, to listen to people who are living and working in the epicenter of profound change.

As President Obama mentioned in his State of the Union address earlier this month, changes in technology are altering our workplaces and growing our economy. So I wanted to talk to the business leaders and workers who shape these new technologies, to discuss ways that we can make sure that the remarkable innovation happening in this region is inclusive, and that the changing economy creates opportunity for everyone.

Because although Silicon Valley is known for innovation and entrepreneurship, it is also a symbol of economic inequality.

On Tuesday, I sat down with community advocates, labor and faith leaders, and workers to hear about innovative ways they are organizing workers in the region. I met Inmar, a janitor at a tech firm who works in Silicon Valley but can't afford to live there because of the lack of affordable housing. Even so, Inmar is hopeful that by calling attention to the challenges faced by low-wage workers, he can help make a difference.

I also met Tommy, a driver for a tech shuttle who was part of a group of workers who recently succeeded in unionizing. He told me about the positive impact that having paid sick days and earning a higher wage had on his life.

Organizations like Silicon Valley Rising are fighting to raise wages and standards for millions of low-wage workers. I left that first round of meetings feeling more optimistic than ever, but I know there is much more work to be done.

One important part of creating shared prosperity is ensuring that people have the skills to punch their ticket to the middle class. That is why I was so interested in meeting with local officials and business leaders who are working to expand apprenticeship in Silicon Valley. On Wednesday, we met at Pinterest to discuss TechSF, a partnership that received a $2.9 million American Apprenticeship Grant from the Department of Labor, aimed at training people in diverse and in-demand fields, from programming to tech support to multimedia.

I then headed to Palo Alto to meet with Guadalupe Salazar, a McDonald's worker who has been involved in the Fight for $15 movement and efforts to push for paid sick time and paid family leave. She told me about the pain that she used to go through knowing she couldn't take time off to care for her sick daughter.

Thanks to her work and the advocacy of thousands of other workers in the Bay Area, all workers in California now enjoy paid sick days. Her wages also have improved: her starting wage at McDonald's was $8 an hour, and now she's making $12.55 an hour. She's determined to continue fighting until all workers make a living wage of $15 an hour. Her grit and determination inspired me.

I ended my trip with a discussion on paid family leave and paid sick days. The U.S. is the only industrialized nation in the world without a federal paid leave policy, but states like California are leading the country by enacting paid leave legislation of their own. I was proud to join Silicon Valley business leaders, elected officials, and community advocates for a discussion on how paid leave has benefited workers and businesses alike. There is much to learn from California's model, and I'm hopeful for continued progress around our nation.

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