Alphabet Workers Union (AWU), also informally referred to as the Google Union,[1][2][3] is an American trade union of workers employed at Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company, with a membership of over 800, in a company with 130,000 employees, not including temps, contractors, and vendors in the United States.[4][2] It was announced on January 4, 2021 with an initial membership of over 400,[5] after over a year of secret organizing, and the union includes all types of workers at Alphabet, including full-time, temporary, vendors and contractors of all job types.
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| Founded | January 4, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Location |
|
Members | 1,200 (Oct. 2022) |
| Affiliations | Campaign to Organize Digital Employees, CWA Local 9009 |
| Website | alphabetworkersunion |
It has been called a minority union and a solidarity union.[6] AWU itself is not registered with the National Labor Relations Board and cannot engage in collective bargaining.[7][2][8] In March 2022, subcontractors of Google Fiber became the first within the AWU to gain NLRB recognition.
History
editOn 4 February 2021, union members expressed support of data center workers, including Shannon Wait, employed through Adecco contractor, who were demanding the right to drink water at work and discussing wages and other working conditions. Subsequently Wait was suspended by the company for her pro-union activities, which AWU protested against through a legal charge.[9] On 10 February, the union announced Wait was re-admitted to work after pressure from the union.[10]
Positions
editMembers have stated that their union fights to improve workers' wages; fights against abuse, retaliation and discrimination; and advocates on behalf of disadvantaged workers at Google such as contractors.[7][11] It also fights to stop sexual harassment in the workplace[12] and aims to stop Google from allowing its social media platforms such as YouTube to function as a hub for right-wing extremism and white supremacy.[2]
Union members have argued that Alphabet has the ability to act in a wrongful manner for the sake of profit, and that forming a union allows workers to improve the world through pressuring the company to drop its bad practices and ensure tech labor is used for good purposes. Union members have also asserted that the company has retaliated against workers for speaking out, and that unionization allows workers to have a say in how certain company matters are run. The union itself serves as a mechanism for workers to speak safely, granting protection via collective strength and solidarity.[13]
Union recognition
editThe Alphabet Workers Union itself is not recognized by the National Labor Relations Board. This is both due to difficulty of formally organizing a large company and also the different tiers of employment contracts.[7] In March 2022, subcontractors of Google Fiber became the first within the AWU to gain NLRB recognition.[14]
In February 2023, 40 Cognizant contractors who worked as content moderators for Youtube Music went on Google's first strike in protest of change to remote work policy that would require them to go to the office in Austin, Texas.[15] A ruling in March 2023 by the NLRB regarding the liability of Google in joint-employment relations would mean that Google could be directly held liable for treatment of their sub-contracted companies. In April 2023, the contractors voted 41–0 to form the YouTube Music Union.[16][17] Google would be obligated to negotiate with them, even though they are directly employed by Cognizant.[16] In March 2024, the 43 contractors were notified of their termination by Cognizant during a live session with the Austin City Council. Google stated that these members of the union were not Google employees, and that the termination was simply due to the contract ending.[18] The council passed a resolution asking Google to negotiate with the workers.[18][19]
In November 2023, Accenture contract workers at Google voted to form a union. This unionization effort started in June when contractors were asked to handle lewd prompts from the initial Bard chatbot.[20][21] Google is appealing the NLRB's designation of them as a joint-employer with Accenture.[17]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Schiffer, Zoe (January 25, 2021). "Exclusive: Google workers across the globe announce international union alliance to hold Alphabet accountable". The Verge. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Marshall, Aarian (January 12, 2021). "Google's New Union Is Already Addressing Political Issues". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028.
The AWU is somewhat unusual in that it is affiliated with the Communications Workers of America but won't seek recognition or collective bargaining rights through the National Labor Relations Board. "We will use our reclaimed power to control what we work on and how it is used," AWU writes in its mission statement. "We will ensure Alphabet acts ethically and in the best interests of society and the environment." The group says it now has more than 700 dues-paying members. But that's still a tiny percentage of Alphabet's 130,000 employees—and an even smaller share of the company's total workforce, including temporary workers, contractors, and vendors. The union is unusual in another respect, because it welcomes contractors and temporary workers.
- ^ Harnett, Sam (January 14, 2021). "New Google Union Triples in Size in First Week, But Faces Formidable Challenges". KQED Inc. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Schiffer, Zoe (January 11, 2021). "The Google union just passed 700 members". The Verge. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ Conger, Kate (January 4, 2021). "Hundreds of Google Employees Unionize, Culminating Years of Activism". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ^ Hahne, Bruce (January 4, 2021). "Google workers launch a solidarity union". alphabetworkers.substack.com.
- ^ a b c Paul, Kari (January 4, 2021). "More than 200 US Google employees form a workers' union". the Guardian. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
- ^ Tiku, Nitasha. "Google workers launch unconventional union with help of Communications Workers of America - The Alphabet Workers Union will push for change without traditional collective bargaining rights". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ "Alphabet Workers Union files labor complaint against Google data center contractor". www.datacenterdynamics.com. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ Dickey, Megan Rose (February 13, 2021). "Human Capital: Doing away with the NDA". TechCrunch. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
- ^ Dickey, Megan Rose (January 4, 2021). "Google, Alphabet employees unionize". Yahoo.com. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
- ^ "Google workers form tech giant's first labour union". BBC. January 4, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ "Google Workers Speak Out About Why They Formed A Union: 'To Protect Ourselves'". NPR.org. Retrieved January 16, 2021.
- ^ Lyons, Kim (March 25, 2022). "Google Fiber contractors vote to join union". The Verge. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ Clark, Mitchell (February 4, 2023). "Contractors who work on YouTube Music are striking". The Verge. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Silberling, Amanda (April 26, 2023). "YouTube Music contractors win historic union vote". Tech Crunch. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ a b Eidelson, Josh (January 4, 2024). "Alphabet Illegally Refused to Negotiate With YouTube Contract Staff, Labor Board Rules". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Neas, Cora; Pauda, Erica (March 1, 2024). "YouTube Music workers laid off after Cognizant contract ends". KXAN Austin. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
- ^ Niemeyer, Kenneth. "YouTube Music team laid off by Google while workers testified to Austin City Council about working conditions". Business Insider. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ Eidelson, Josh; Alba, Davey (November 6, 2023). "Google Content Writers at Accenture Vote to Join Union". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ Roth, Emma (November 7, 2023). "Google contractors objected to reading obscene Bard prompts — now they're unionizing". The Verge. Retrieved July 23, 2024.