Richard Nieva / CNET
The Alphabet Workers Union claimed on Thursday that Google contractors were banned from discussing wages, according to a complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board.
A contractor, called Shannon Wait, was suspended last week after complaining about the conditions in the South Carolina data center where she works, the union said. Wait said he was the target of questions after asking why some workers did not receive the promised bonuses. She said she was also asked by management about a post on her personal Facebook page showing support for the alphabet union.
The complaint was made against Adecco, Google’s recruiting partner that employs Wait, as well as Alphabet, Google’s parent company.
Adecco did not respond to a request for comment. Google did not immediately comment. The news was previously released by Bloomberg.
Google temporary workers, suppliers and contractors, or TVCs, in the company’s jargon, are said to represent more than half of the company’s global workforce. They complained about being treated as second-class citizens compared to full-time Google employees.
“These are the conditions we face as TVCs – we get paid less, we get fired when necessary and we often don’t have access to safe and transparent working conditions,” said Wait in a statement. “Alphabet and Google can do better to ensure that all workers, including their contractors, are treated fairly. Google became a trillion dollar company last year. They can afford to treat us well. . ”
Thursday’s complaint to the NLRB is the first to be filed by the Alphabet Workers Union since it released last month. The union, affiliated with Communications Workers of America, has about 800 members. Unlike a conventional union, it has no collective bargaining rights and one of its main goals is to pressure Alphabet to act ethically, say its founders.
“We, the Alphabet Workers Union, support Shannon Wait and all Alphabet workers, who deserve safe and transparent working conditions,” said Parul Koul, executive president of AWU, in a statement. “I want other TVCs to see this and know that they can appeal if they see something illegal or unethical in their workplace. Alphabet’s segregated, two-tier employment system will not prevent worker solidarity.”
Google has dealt with other labor issues in recent weeks. In December, the NLRB filed a complaint against Google for alleged retaliation against worker activists. The complaint alleges that Google violated US labor laws by monitoring, interrogating and firing activist employees.
The move resulted from terminations made by Google a year earlier, when the company laid off employees who worked on responses to hiring a consultancy with a history of anti-union efforts. Google said employees were fired for violating Google’s data policies. The NLRB claims that some of these policies are illegal.