At Google, Hundreds Of Workers Formed A Labor Union. Why? ‘To Protect Ourselves’

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Google engineer Raksha Muthukumar is among more than 500 employees of the tech giant who this week announced the formation of a labor union, a rarity in Silicon Valley.





Courtesy of Raksha Muthukumar



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Courtesy of Raksha Muthukumar





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Workers protest against Google’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations at the company’s Mountain View, Calif., headquarters in November 2018.





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Noah Berger/AP



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Google AI Team Demands Ousted Black Researcher Be Rehired And Promoted

More than 2,600 of Gebru’s former colleagues signed a public letter denouncing Google’s ouster of Gebru — which the company insists was a resignation. The incident reignited worker fury against top executives, underscoring the need for a way to speak out without the fear of reprisal, according to union organizers.

«There is massive power that has been concentrated at the executive level, said Alan Morales, a Google engineer who is now a member of the union. «As a tech employee, it’s a reasonable ask to ensure that this labor is being used for something positive that makes the world a better place.

The union is a symptom of a larger shift at Google, where median pay of around $200,000 and other company perks have kept many employees quiet about publicly criticizing the company.





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Google’s chief executive Sundar Pichai addresses the audience during an event on artificial intelligence in June 2020.





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Google’s chief executive Sundar Pichai addresses the audience during an event on artificial intelligence in June 2020.


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That began to change in 2018, when 20,000 Google workers around the world staged a walkout to protest how the company handled sexual harassment claims. Others more recently have openly questioned some of Google’s work, like selling technology to U.S. border agents and the military. And accounts of how women and people of color receive different treatment at the company have circulated widely since Gebru’s firing.

All of this, says Chris Benner, professor at the University of California Santa Cruz, helped build the momentum for Google’s union.

«It shows that broader concerns about growing income and wealth inequality in our society, and unfair labor practices, are now being shared by some of the most well-paid employees in the tech industry, said Chris Benner, professor at the University of California Santa Cruz, who has long studied the tech sector. «I would not be surprised if we saw more of than in Silicon Valley in the coming year.

Former Google executive: Union could damage company’s image

Google officials declined to be interviewed about the union. It did issued a statement that said the company has always «worked hard to create a supportive and rewarding workplace and that it will «continue engaging directly with all our employees.

Ross LaJeunesse, a former Google executive, had this reaction to this statement: «It just struck me as an example that they really don’t get it.

Until 2019, LaJeunesse was the global head of the company’s international relations. He says he was forced out of Google for raising objections about working with the governments of China and Saudi Arabia, saying such business ventures would make the company «complicit in human rights violations.

Google disputes his firing was retaliatory, claiming LaJeunesse lost his job due to a company reorganizations, not because of his internal resistance.

Whatever the reason, LaJeunesse is someone familiar with the thinking of top brass at Google, and he said upper management is likely worried the new union will damage Google’s image at a time when public opinion is turning against Big Tech.

«First thing that Google executives will be concerned about is potential damage to the brand and the PR efforts the company constantly undertakes, he said.

LaJeunesse said the union shows that company executives have not directly engaged with growing calls for reform from some of the company’s rank and file and that the distrust sowed between employees and management could hurt the company long term.

«Really, this should be an alarm to investors and to the Board, LaJeunesse said. «I think there’s a real risk of that talent going elsewhere.