Google Fiber Subcontractor Celebrates Victory In NLRB Election

Google Fiber contractor chooses to join union (Photo: Alphabet Workers Union)

JAKARTA - The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) announced that the voting results of Google Fiber subcontracted workers, who are employees of the Google BDS Connected Solutions contractor in Kansas City, Mo. won their election to the union.

According to a release from the CWA Union, quoted on Sunday, March 27, this is the first Google Fiber worker to successfully unionize and the first AWU-CWA bargaining unit to be recognized.

This means that the unit will be the first group of AWU-CWA workers to have bargaining rights in the country. Workers include retail associates at several Google Fiber retail locations in Kansas City, Mo.

"Today we are thrilled to see NLRB reaffirm what we already know that we enjoy tremendous support for our union as employees of BDS Connected Solutions, a Google Fiber Subcontractor," said Eris Derickson, Retail Fellow at BDS Connected Solutions and Google Fiber.

Derickson said his campaign faced many attempts to prevent them from exercising their right to a collective voice in the workplace.

"To make sure we all have access to the salaries, benefits and protections that we have earned," he continued.

Workers petitioned for union elections with the NLRB on January 4, 2022, on the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU-CWA Local 1400).

Workers who have been AWU-CWA members who pay dues and ask the NLRB to grant them the bargaining power they have earned by successfully setting up their workplace in Kansas City, Mo.

These bargaining rights will provide an important point of influence for these workers as temporary Alphabet, vendors, and contract workers who are explicitly denied the same rights, benefits and protections at work that are provided to full-time employees in the company.

“Since our founding, we have been committed to tackling a two-tier, segregated employment system at Alphabet. Alphabet wants to maintain its reputation for treating its employees well but doesn't want to pay for it,” explains Andrew Gainer-Dewar, Software Engineer, at Google's Cambridge, Mass., AWU-CWA members.

Instead, Andrew says the trillion-dollar company relies on temporary workers, contracts, and vendors to provide essential jobs for the company without the same pay, benefits, or entitlements as full-time employees.

“We are proud to stand with our Alphabet colleagues as they head to the negotiating table to secure the salaries, benefits and entitlements they have earned. Last year we fought for our union, this year we fought for and won our seats at the negotiating table,” he continued. Workers are looking forward to moving to the negotiating table with BDS Connected Solutions to negotiate contracts to ensure workers receive their fair share.