Google Faces Labor Complaint to Bargain with Contractor Union

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Alphabet's Google is facing a second complaint from the U.S. labor board, claiming it should be considered the employer of contract workers and required to negotiate with their union.

The National Labor Relations Board's complaint, filed last week, states that Google is a "joint employer" of about 50 content creation workers in San Francisco, who are employed by IT firm Accenture Flex and voted to join the Alphabet Workers Union in 2023. This follows a separate investigation into an October complaint from the union, which accused Google and Accenture Flex of changing working conditions without prior bargaining.

If Google is found to be the joint employer, it would be required to negotiate with the union and could face consequences for violating labor laws. In a separate ruling in January 2024, the NLRB ordered Google to negotiate with YouTube Music workers employed by another staffing firm. Google is appealing that decision in court this month.

Google maintains that it doesn't have enough control over contract workers to be considered their joint employer. In response to union pressures, the company removed a $15-an-hour minimum wage for contractors and made other adjustments to avoid union negotiations.

An administrative judge will hear the new complaint, and their decision can be reviewed by the NLRB. Google and the Alphabet Workers Union have not yet commented. Labor organizing at Google has been growing both in the U.S. and internationally, with workers protesting various company policies.

The legal standards for joint employment have fluctuated since the Obama administration, with recent rulings and potential changes under the incoming Republican leadership.

Paraphrasing text from "Reuters" all rights reserved by the original author.