From Nasdaq:

Google was found to have violated U.S. labor law by refusing to bargain with a union representing contract workers for YouTube Music. The ruling was made by the National Labor Relations Board, which rejected Google’s claims that it should not be considered the employer of these workers. The company plans to appeal the decision in a federal appeals court.

The group of YouTube Music content operation workers had voted 41-0 to join the Alphabet Workers Union last April. The labor board upheld the election results, rejecting Google’s claims that it did not have enough control over the workers. Employers cannot appeal decisions in election cases, so Google refused to bargain in order to get the case back before the NLRB.

Google reacted to the ruling by stating that it would ask a federal appeals court to review the decision. The company emphasized its belief that the workers’ collective bargaining should be engaged by their employer, Cognizant, rather than Google. The union representing the workers has not yet responded for comment.

Google has been facing increased labor organizing efforts by its employees. In November, about 120 employees of Google contractor Accenture who work on artificial intelligence applications voted to unionize. Google is disputing the election results, claiming it is not the workers’ joint employer. This is part of a broader debate over businesses being considered joint employers of contract and franchise workers.

The National Labor Relations Board’s rule on joint employment was utilized in Google’s case, stating that businesses must exercise direct control over workers in order to be required to bargain with unions. The NLRB found that Google directly supervises workers provided by Cognizant and has control over their hours and benefits. This decision reflects the broader debate and legal changes surrounding the concept of joint employment.



Read more: Google must bargain with YouTube worker union, US labor board rules