The NLRB ruled in September that Google and subcontractor Accenture are joint employers of the CCO team, a decision Google has appealed. Despite this, the unionization vote proceeded. Google maintains it does not control the employment terms or working conditions of these workers, stating the matter is between the workers and Accenture. This is the second time the NLRB has recognized Google as a joint employer with a contracting firm, with a similar case involving Cognizant occurring earlier this year.
Key takeaways:
- Google contractors, who were upset over alleged unlawful terminations in retaliation for trying to unionize, have now joined the Alphabet Workers Union following a 26-2 vote overseen by the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
- The NLRB ruled in September that Google and Accenture are effectively joint employers of the Google Content Creation Operations team in the US.
- Google has appealed the NLRB decision and maintains that it is not a joint employer as it does not control the employment terms or working conditions of the contractors.
- This is the second unit of AWU-CWA members that the NLRB has recognized as jointly employed by Google and a subcontractor, pointing to a pattern of misclassification by Google.