A group of Google contract workers recently made headlines when they voted overwhelmingly to form a union, signifying a landmark victory despite what they call retaliatory actions by Google and their direct employer, Accenture. These workers, who were engaged in training Google’s AI chatbot Bard and writing Google Help articles, were on a mission to secure better working conditions and protections.
The contractors, who were contracted to work for Google through Accenture, announced their unionization efforts in June, after they were directed to work on the then-unannounced Bard chatbot. As part of their efforts to help train the bot, they were asked to “handle obscene, graphic and offensive prompts,” as reported by Bloomberg. This raised concerns about the nature of the tasks they were being asked to perform while on the job.
The situation only escalated when one of the contractors filed a complaint with Accenture’s human resources department about the inappropriate content. According to Bloomberg, their work was then outsourced to Accenture workers in Manila. Shortly after the contractors announced their unionization campaign, dozens of them were laid off, leaving only about 40 out of 120 workers with their jobs.
One of the workers, Jen Hill, a Google Help designer and a member of the Alphabet Workers Union, emphasized the importance of organizing, stating, “We organized so that we could have a say in our working conditions. In response, Google has tried to skirt its responsibility to us as our employer, while also laying off dozens of our team members.”
The situation has shed light on the classification of Google as a “joint employer” alongside Accenture, meaning both companies work closely with the workers and can be held accountable for their treatment. However, Google maintains that it isn’t a direct employer, further complicating the matter.
In response to the unionization efforts, Google spokeswoman Courtenay Mencini stated, “We have no objection to these Accenture workers electing to form a union. We’ve long had many contracts with unionized suppliers. However, as we made clear in our active appeal to the NLRB, we are not a joint employer as we simply do not control their employment terms or working conditions — this matter is between the workers and their employer, Accenture.” Google’s appeal to the National Labor Relations Board emphasizes that Accenture “alone” determines employees’ work schedules, job classifications, time-off requests, and pay.
This situation is not unique to the Google contract workers. The tech giant has faced criticism over its treatment of contract workers for years, and more of them in all areas of Google are starting to unionize. In a separate incident, a group of contractors who work on YouTube Music also voted to form a union in April. The NLRB ruled that Alphabet should be classified as a joint employer in this case, a decision that would force Google to take a seat at the bargaining table. However, the NLRB says Google refuses to negotiate with workers as part of the contract bargaining process.
Given Google’s history and the current pushback from the company regarding its role as a joint employer with Accenture workers, the situation seems headed for a legal battle. The workers are determined to assert their rights and improve their working conditions, and the outcome of this struggle could have implications for the treatment of contract workers in the tech industry as a whole.