Employees of U.S.-based contractors for Facebook are getting new work standards and a $15-an-hour minimum wage, Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg announced in a blog post Tuesday.
All employees of companies "who do a substantial amount of work" with Facebook will receive a $15 minimum wage, 15 paid days off for holidays, sick time and vacation, and a $4,000 new-child benefit for new parents who don't receive parental leave.
"This will give both women and men the flexibility to take paid parental leave," Sandberg wrote in the post.
The White House, which has been advocating for a rise in the minimum wage and better parental leave offerings from big employers, said Facebook's move was "an example of the kind of leadership" needed from the private sector.
"We don't see companies like Facebook doing this out of charity," spokesperson Josh Earnest said in a press briefing. "They think that it's good for business. And the president thinks it's good for business, too. And that's why, you know, we're gonna continue to advocate for these kinds of policies in the United States Congress."
The changes took effect May 1 for some support teams at Facebook's Menlo Park, California, headquarters, and the rest will be applied to a broader group of vendors within the year. This group will include workers employed by U.S.-based companies with more than 25 employees working for Facebook.
"Women, because they comprise about two-thirds of minimum wage workers nationally, are particularly affected by wage adjustments," Sandberg wrote.
Contractors typically provide services like transportation, catering, building security, and cleaning. In March, Microsoft contract workers received 15 paid days off, and they continue to organize for more benefits. Facebook shuttle bus drivers voted to unionize in November, and Apple agreed to raises for its drivers in March.
California's minimum wage is set to rise to $10 an hour next January.