Alphabet’s Google is facing a second complaint from the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which claims that the tech giant is a “joint employer” of contract workers and must bargain with their union. This complaint, issued last week, pertains to a group of about 50 San Francisco-based content creation workers employed by IT firm Accenture Flex. These workers voted to join the Alphabet Workers Union in 2023.
The NLRB’s claim hinges on the idea that Google shares enough control over these workers’ terms and conditions to be considered their joint employer. This would require Google to engage in collective bargaining with the union and could make the company liable for any violations of federal labor law.
This complaint follows a similar investigation into changes made by Google and Accenture Flex to workers’ conditions without prior bargaining, filed by the union in October. The NLRB had already ruled in January 2024 that Google must bargain with workers at YouTube Music, who were employed by a different staffing firm. An appeals court will review this decision later in the month.
Google, however, has argued that it does not exert sufficient control over its contract workers to be considered their joint employer. The company has also implemented changes, including eliminating a $15-an-hour minimum wage for contractors, in an effort to avoid union negotiations.
The new complaint will be heard by an administrative judge, with the final decision subject to review by the NLRB. This legal development is part of a broader trend of increased labor organizing at Google, which has seen protests over its business practices and employment policies.