Published , by Donovan Erskine
Published , by Donovan Erskine
Employees at the megacorporation Google are forming the company’s first union, following continuous disputes between them and executives.
Employees published an op-ed piece in the New York Times on Monday, January 4 to announce the unionization. Parul Koul and Chewy Shaw, members of the board of Alphabet Workers Union, have stated that 226 employees have joined the union so far. The op-ed details the decision for employees to unionize.
“Our bosses have collaborated with repressive governments around the world. They have developed artificial intelligence technology for use by the Department of Defense and profited from ads by a hate group. They have failed to make the changes necessary to meaningfully address our retention issues with people of color.”
Like many other major corporations, Google has been heavily criticized for some shady business practices, particularly in recent years. It looks like it was this constant build up of behavior that led to the unionizing. The employees cite Google’s old motto “Don’t Be Evil” in the post. They also reference the antitrust lawsuits made against the company.
Back in 2018, Google employees organized a walkout in protest of the companies handling of multiple sexual assault allegations. It was recently reported that these same executives were given multi-million dollar bonuses.
It’s likely that the 226 members of Google’s newfound union will grow in the coming weeks. For future updates on the ongoings at Google, stay with us here on Shacknews.