A group of workers at YouTube Music Content Operations, an Alphabet subcontractor, have applied for union registration and negotiating power with the National Labor Relations Board after a supermajority of the 58-person group signed union cards. “Workers on the YouTube Music Content Operations team guarantee that music content is available and approved for YouTube’s 2.1 billion monthly active users globally,” the Alphabet Workers Union-Communications Workers of America (AWU-CWA) stated in a statement.
The workers, who are situated in Austin, Texas, had previously paid AWU-CWA dues and are now seeking collective bargaining rights. According to the AWU-CWA, these rights would compel Alphabet to recognize the union as the workers’ collective bargaining unit. A hearing has been scheduled for November 14th by the NLRB. The union, which was founded in January 2021, presently has about 1,200 members, including full-time employees, temporary, vendor, and contract workers.
According to the AWU-CWA, “we will not stop organizing until all Alphabet workers (full-time, temporary, vendor, and contract workers) have dignity on the job, the compensation and benefits we deserve, and a place at the table.” A handful of Google Fiber workers in Kansas City chose earlier this year to join the AWU-CWA. The AWU filed charges with the NLRB last month, accusing Google of terminating data center workers in retribution for union action. According to the union, Google dismissed two employees who sought to discuss compensation and working conditions.
“We are honored to welcome the workers of the YouTube Music Content Operations team as members of the Alphabet Workers Union-CWA,” Google software engineer and AWU-CWA executive chair Parul Koul said. “Google platforms like YouTube have largely been a success thanks to the labor and efforts of the thousands of contract workers that ensure quality content while being denied their fair share. We’re excited to see these workers bring Alphabet to the bargaining table and use their power to win the quality pay, benefits, and rights on the job they deserve.”
