Google contractors who worked on chatbot Bard have unionised after mass layoffs

Google's team of content creation contractors has voted to join the Alphabet Workers Union. This comes amid the firing of most employees after announcing their intention to organise a union.

Here's What We Know

In June, the team announced plans to unionise to push for better working conditions and protection from layoffs. Shortly afterwards, more than 80 of the team's 119 members were sacked, according to the AWU union.

The remaining employees voted to join the AWU despite Google's objections. The company says it is not the employer of this team, which is hired through contractor Accenture. However, the US National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) has previously ruled that Google and Accenture are joint employers.

According to the union, the mass layoffs were a direct retaliation against the attempted merger. AWU filed a complaint with the NLRB alleging unlawful retaliation for union activity.

This is the second time the NLRB has ruled that Google and a contractor are joint employers. Previously, a similar decision was made against Cognizant.

Source: The Register