Is Google Labor Union A Sign Of Things To Come For Silicon Valley?

A labor group supporting unionization efforts for employees at Google and parent company Alphabet said the only way to ensure workers are respected is through collective action, signaling possible changes for Silicon Valley.

More than 200 U.S. employees at the tech giant announced in the pages of the New York Times on Monday that they formed the Alphabet Workers Union to ensure fair wages and freedom from retaliation against complaints of abuse or discrimination.

“To those who are skeptical of unions or believe that tech companies are more innovative without unions, we want to point out that these and other larger problems persist. Discrimination and harassment continue,” the union’s executive chairman Parul Koul and vice chair Chewy Shaw wrote. “Alphabet continues to crack down on those who dare to speak out, and keep workers from speaking on sensitive and publicly important topics, like antitrust and monopoly power.”

The Communications Workers of America said it was incorporating the Alphabet network in its Local 1400, which counts union members from AT&T and Verizon among its ranks.

The CWA said it would face an uphill battle in its labor efforts, noting the trends have been met by firings, intimidation and suppression. Instead of addressing the concerns of its workers, the CWA said, Google hired a firm well versed in union-busting.

“The only tactic that has ensured workers are respected and heard is collective action,” the CWA stated on Monday.

In November, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union said it was trying to incorporate an estimated 1,500 full- and part-time workers with Amazon under its umbrella, but said the e-commerce giant was determined “to vigorously battle employees trying to organize.”

The increase in telecommuting has not only exposed how deeply infiltrated big tech companies such as Alphabet and Apple have become but also brought renewed inquiries about their overwhelming influence and business practices.

In October, the Justice Department and 11 states launched proceedings against Google, accusing it of having illegally strengthened its monopoly on online searches and advertising.

U.S. regulators have long pressured Google over its labor practices, particularly for terminating employees trying to unionize. The company said, however, it was abiding by the rule of the law.

“Our employees have protected labor rights that we support,” Kara Silverstein, the director of people operations at Google, said in a statement. “But as we’ve always done, we’ll continue engaging directly with all our employees.”