Google workers announce plans to unionise

Following unceasing complaints of unequal treatment among staff,a group of Google workers have announced plans to unionise with the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

The Alphabet Workers Union is expected be open to all employees and contractors at Google’s parent company.

According to the Verge, its goal will be to tackle ongoing issues like pay disparity, retaliation, and controversial government contracts.

This union builds upon years of courageous organizing by Google workers,” Nicki Anselmo, Google program manager, said in a statement that referenced the company’s decision not to renew a Pentagon contract to analyze drone footage after employees protested.

“From fighting the ‘real names’ policy, to opposing Project Maven, to protesting the egregious, multi-million dollar payouts that have been given to executives who’ve committed sexual harassment, we’ve seen first-hand that Alphabet responds when we act collectively.”

She continued, “Our new union provides a sustainable structure to ensure that our shared values as Alphabet employees are respected even after the headlines fade.”

Of the roughly 227 workers who have so far signed on to support the union, they have all committed to set aside one per cent of the yearly compensation to go toward union dues. Those dues will be used to help compensate folks for lost wages in the event of a strike. The bulk of the workers who have signed on are mostly based in offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and one in Cambridge.

Google’s work on Project Maven, an effort to use Artificial Intelligence to improve targeted drone strikes, sparked protests among employees who saw the work as unethical. In 2018, the company decided not to renew its contract with the Pentagon. The company also ended its forced arbitration policy after 20,000 workers staged a walkout to protest former executive Andy Rubin getting a $90 million exit package after he was credibly accused of sexual harassment.