The City Council meeting was streamed live online and later spread on social media. Contractors see the layoffs as retaliation for unionizing, but Google and information technology subcontractor Cognizant said it was a normal termination of the contract. It highlights how often the pain of a layoff can be expressed on social media, with employees sharing recordings of Zoom meetings or posting about their job loss.
Tensions between YouTube contractors and Google are rising as massive layoffs continue to hit the tech industry, leaving workers worried and companies emboldened. Google has already cut its workforce repeatedly over the past two years.
Google is in a long-running battle with many of its contractors for the perks and higher pay that Google’s full-time employees are accustomed to. The company has tens of thousands of contractors who do everything from food service to sales to code writing.
YouTube workers at Google and Cognizant have unanimously voted to unionize under the Alphabet Workers Union-CWA in April 2023. The workers claim that Google has since refused to negotiate with them. Thursday’s layoffs signify continued tensions between Google and its employees, some of whom formed a union in 2021.
Google argues that Cognizant is not responsible for negotiations with contractors because it is responsible for their employment and working conditions. Cognizant said it will offer employees seven weeks of paid time to explore other roles within the company or take advantage of training resources.
Last year, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that Cognizant and Google are joint employers of contractors. In January, the NLRB sent cease-and-desist letters to both employers for failing to negotiate with unions. Since then, the issue of joint employment ultimately determined which company. The case has been taken to the Court of Appeal, which is responsible for negotiations, but has not yet issued a ruling. The Alphabet union said Google has never negotiated with either of its two bargaining units.Google says it is not responsible for negotiations with unions of cognizant workers.
Google spokeswoman Courtenay Mencini said, “We have no objection to Cognizant employees choosing to form a union.” “We simply believe it is appropriate for Cognizant to participate in collective bargaining as an employer.”
Cognizant did not comment on the workers’ claims that it refused to negotiate with the union, but issued the following statement: ” said Cognizant spokesman Bill Abelson.
This team is responsible for ensuring music content is available and approved by YouTube Music’s 80 million subscribers, and they unionized to demand better wages and benefits. The workers say they receive no sick pay or minimal benefits, making as little as $19 an hour, and some work multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Workers have participated in two strikes. One was a one-month suspension in February 2023 due to Cognizant’s return-to-office policy, which resulted in approximately 20 percent of the team leaving the company, and one in September due to Google and Cognizant’s return-to-office policy. Business was suspended for the day. Refusal to negotiate. After the strike, Benedict said, workers were asked to train agents in India on how to do the job so they could fill in during vacations or if workers went on strike.
Benedict thought Thursday would be a moment of victory, as the council was expected to vote in favor of the pro-labor resolution. Instead, workers were told by the council 10 minutes before the meeting that the vote would be postponed but they would be allowed to speak. During the speech, the team working in the office was called into a meeting and told they had no more work to do. They texted workers attending the council meeting to let them know.
“I don’t think the news could have come at a worse time,” Benedict said. “It looks like it’s going to be really bad for them.”
Sam Regan, a data analyst contractor at YouTube Music, was in the office when the layoffs occurred. He said security guards were attending a brief morning meeting of company executives and the atmosphere was suspicious. “Cold” Informed employees that the project was being canceled. The workers were given about 20 minutes to pack up their belongings and leave the premises before being considered trespassing.
Regan said he was one of the last to leave. As she was leaving, she heard one of the guards call the non-emergency police to report the trespasser.
“It was really bad,” he said. “It was one of the most inhuman experiences of my life.”
Workers say they are shocked but will keep fighting.
“that [city council video] “This clip is all over the place and is getting a lot of attention,” he said. “We’re not going to just sit back and let them do this.”
