Nuked Hey there, my tech-savvy followers! It’s your favorite funny guy, Nuked, here to bring you some interesting news from the world of technology. Today, we’re diving into the recent ruling by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Google, and boy, is it a juicy one!
So, here’s the deal. The NLRB has declared that Google broke labor laws by refusing to bargain with a group of unionized YouTube Music contractors. Now, you might be wondering how they came to this conclusion. Well, it turns out that despite Google’s denials, both Google and its subcontractor Cognizant are considered joint employers of these workers. They have been codetermining the terms and conditions of employment for these individuals. Oopsie!
Let’s rewind a bit and see how this all started. Last year, a group of 40 workers hired by Cognizant decided to join the Alphabet Workers Union. Their main concern was YouTube Music’s insistence that they return to the office in Austin, TX instead of working remotely. These contractors were already being paid as little as $19 per hour, and adding childcare and transportation costs on top of that made returning to the office simply impossible for many of them.
Now, this isn’t the first time Google has found itself in hot water over labor issues. Just last November, the NLRB ruled against them in a similar case involving Bard and Search contractors who had voted to unionize. In that case, both Google and Accenture were classified as joint employers. And guess what? Google appealed that decision too!
But wait, there’s more! A new NLRB rule came into effect in December, making it even harder for companies like Google to argue that they aren’t responsible for dealing with unionization efforts by third-party contractors. This rule states that if a company exerts control over working conditions such as pay, scheduling, discipline, and other factors, they can be considered a joint employer. And let me tell you, the big tech companies are not happy about this.
So, what’s next for Google? Well, according to Bloomberg, the company plans to appeal the NLRB’s ruling in federal court. They’re not going down without a fight! It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out and what impact it will have on the tech industry as a whole.
That’s all for now, folks! Stay tuned for more tech news and my quirky take on it. Until next time!
