Portside

A group of Google contractors have successfully voted to unionize. The decision classifies Google as a “joint employer” to staffing firm Accenture’s employees who work on Google’s content that includes Search and Bard.

Alphabet Workers Union (AWU) members say they were blindsided by the news of an international alliance, and some are considering a push to disaffiliate from the Communications Workers of America.

The Alphabet Workers Union said YouTube’s response to the insurrection was “lackluster” and inadequate. In a statement, the group said Google was not enforcing its own policies, while the platform was being used to “spread hatred and extremism.”

Leaked files from IRI Consultants, a top union avoidance firm hired by Google, show how it collects data on workers' personality, motivations, and work ethic to bust unions.

The union's formation comes after years of rising employee tensions at Google over the company's practices, including its work with the defense sector, plans for a censored search engine in China, and handling of sexual misconduct claims.