CWA Local 1400/Alphabet Workers Union Wins Settlement with Google

Just a few months after going public with their union, the Alphabet Workers Union - Google data workers and members of CWA Local 1400 - have already won a major victory as they fight for more just working conditions.

In February, the union filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) complaint with the National Labor Relations Board alleging that workers were illegally forbidden from discussing their pay with one another. The ULP also alleged that Shannon Wait, a data technician, was suspended because she wrote a pro-union post on Facebook.

One week after the complaint was filed, Shannon was reinstated. On March 31st, the settlement was announced, which includes a requirement that any reference to Wait’s suspension must be removed from her file.

Although Google admits no wrong-doing in the ULP settlement, the company and its contractors promised not to silence workers in discussions about their pay, and posted signs around their data center in South Carolina making it clear that workers have the right to discuss and join a union, stating “WE WILL NOT tell you that you cannot discuss policies with other employees. WE WILL NOT discipline you because you exercise your right to discuss wage rates, bonuses, hours and working conditions with other employees.”

This is a huge win for the newly-formed Alphabet Workers Union, representing over 800 Google workers, after going public with their union in January. The ULP was filed after Shannon reached out to the union, and within just a few months, workers are already proving the immense power of having a union to defend their rights.

Click here to read more about the settlement.

Click here to hear from Shannon Wait.