Google Must Recognize Union of YouTube Contract Workers, Labor Board Rules

In a significant ruling, the National Labor Relations Board has found that Alphabet, Google’s parent company, must recognize and negotiate with a union representing contract workers at YouTube. This opens the door to greater job protections and bargaining power for thousands of contracted employees across Silicon Valley.

Last April, workers hired through Cognizant Technology Solutions to review YouTube content voted unanimously to join the Alphabet Workers Union. However, Google denied they were the legitimate employer of these individuals, claiming responsibility lay solely with Cognizant. The NLRB previously classified Google as a “joint employer” with control over working conditions, obligating them to bargain if unionization occurred.

Now, the labor board has ordered Google to cease refusing to engage in collective bargaining with the newly formed union. A company spokesperson states they will challenge this in court, insisting it is Cognizant alone who should negotiate as the direct employer. Critically, the NLRB ruling establishes Google jointly employs these contractors for legal purposes.

Reliance on temporary and contract staff has ballooned at Google in recent years, with over half of their massive workforce falling into this category globally by 2018. The Alphabet Workers Union, affiliated with the Communications Workers of America, has actively pursued representing both contractors and regular employees since launching in 2021.

This landmark decision raises the bar for equitable treatment of contract employees throughout Big Tech firms that structure workforces through third parties but maintain dominance over working conditions. Only through unified organization and determination can contract workers hope to gain the bargaining leverage and job security directly hired staff currently enjoy. The NLRB has taken an important step toward fairer working conditions in Silicon Valley’s shadow economy.