More than 40 contractors who work for YouTube Music are going on strike against an order to return to in-person work at Google’s Austin, Texas office on February 6.
According to the Alphabet Workers Union(Opens in a new window) (AWU), the move is the first known strike at Google, and was called because a majority of the workers were hired remotely in early 2020 and are unable to relocate to the Austin area. Almost one-quarter of the contractors, the AWU says, are not based in Texas.
The workers are a part of the YouTube Music Content Operations team via Cognizant, a subcontractor for Alphabet, Google, and YouTube’s parent company. Per a press release(Opens in a new window) from the AWU, they work to ensure that “music content is available and approved” for the platform.
The contractors, who the AWU says are paid at a rate starting at $19 an hour, are demanding a return-to-work policy that is “fair” and “flexible” and does not threaten workers’ safety and livelihoods.
A Cognizant spokesperson told Engadget(Opens in a new window) that the contractors had been made aware of the return to office policy “repeatedly since December 2021.” The Alphabet contractor added that the workers had started their roles “with the understanding that they were accepting in-office positions, and that the team would work together at a physical location based in Austin.”
Last week, the AWU, which the contractors are currently trying to unionize with, filed an unfair labor practice charge(Opens in a new window) against Alphabet and Cognizant, alleging that the in-person work order was issued to interfere with workplace organizing, or as retaliation against workers for attempting to organize with the AWU.
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The striking workers have set up a strike fund(Opens in a new window) to support themselves while they go unpaid from Google. At the time of writing, over $18,000 of the $50,000 target fundraising goal had been raised.
Google and Cognizant did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
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