Google parent Alphabet should officially be considered the “joint employer” of a crew of scrappy YouTube Music contract workers, according to a new ruling from a National Labor Relation Board official. That means the Austin, Texas-based group of around 60 workers currently vying to organize with the Alphabet Worker Union (AWU) may soon be able to negotiate with Google’s parent company to receive the benefits and pay afforded to full-time employees.
If successful, these negotiations could serve as an inflection point for the scores of other low-wage contract workers responsible for keeping other large tech companies afloat. Google, which intends to appeal the ruling, claims Cognizant, its subcontractor, should be considered the worker’s sole employer.
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In his 15-page ruling, Fort Worth-Based NLRB regional director Timothy Watson said that Google “exercises direct and immediate control over benefits, hours of work, supervision and direction of work” of the YouTube contractors. To a lesser extent, the director said Google also exercises control over the workers’ wages by “setting minimum standards.”
“We are proud to win a precedent-setting victory not just for ourselves, but also for workers across the country, where technology companies in particular have innovated new ways to deny...
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