Doug Lawson, 34, was promoted two years ago to lead line cook by a contracting company that staffs many of the cafeterias at Facebook-parent Meta.
He was excited to take the new job, helping other cooks prepare food for the company’s tech workers — whipping up dishes such as pork buns and steamed vegetables at the company’s Seattle offices.
But in March, contracting company Flagship gave Lawson and his fellow line cooks a stark choice: They could either accept a lower-level position with similar responsibilities and lower compensation, or be laid off. Lawson stayed, but the reduction in his monthly take-home pay has stung.
“Rent is not getting $160 cheaper. Food is not getting cheaper,” said Lawson, who now makes about $26 an hour, $1 an hour less than before. “A lot of people couldn’t take that,” so they took a severance package and left, he said.
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For years, tech giants like Facebook and Google have been known for generous perks like free food and massages, outfitting their sprawling campuses in Silicon Valley and beyond to attract the best engineering talent and keep them in the office as long as possible. Many of those services — plus others, from janitorial tasks to content moderation and engineering — are provided by an army of largely invisible contractors, like Lawson, who are employed by outside firms and don’t receive the same benefits or compensation as direct employees.
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