Google Fiber Workers Successfully Unionize In Kansas City (engadget.com) 37
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Engadget: In a tally with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) this afternoon, Google Fiber customer service workers -- employed by staffing agency BDS Connected Solutions, which is subcontracted by Alphabet -- voted nine to one to form a union. They'll be represented by the Alphabet Workers Union, an arm of the Communications Workers of America (AWU-CWA.) Workers at the store, which operates out of Kansas City, Missouri, told Engadget back in January that they were feeling left out of important workplace conversations, especially around safety and staffing. Kansas City was the market where Google Fiber first launched, approximately a decade ago. Workers at this store skipped straight to petitioning the NLRB for union recognition because, for reasons unknown, the supermajority of union card-signers were seemingly ignored by Google and BDS alike. At the time Emrys Adair, a worker at this location said, "There's been no acknowledgement, no pushback. No response at all yet."
Among the ballots cast, nine were in favor while one was opposed; an additional ballot was challenged, but the number of challenged ballots was not sufficient to change the result of the election. [...] The Alphabet Workers Union sees this not only as a victory for this specific store, but part of a broader campaign to level the playing field between Alphabet's full-time staff, and its larger and reportedly worse-compensated TVCs (temps, vendors and contractors, in Google parlance.) [...] What remains next is for these Google Fiber workers to bargain their first contract, itself a herculean effort that companies have tremendous power to draw out or undermine. Thus far, the specific changes these workers hope to win in bargaining have not been disclosed by the AWU-CWA, though keeping those goals close to the chest is by no means unusual.
Among the ballots cast, nine were in favor while one was opposed; an additional ballot was challenged, but the number of challenged ballots was not sufficient to change the result of the election. [...] The Alphabet Workers Union sees this not only as a victory for this specific store, but part of a broader campaign to level the playing field between Alphabet's full-time staff, and its larger and reportedly worse-compensated TVCs (temps, vendors and contractors, in Google parlance.) [...] What remains next is for these Google Fiber workers to bargain their first contract, itself a herculean effort that companies have tremendous power to draw out or undermine. Thus far, the specific changes these workers hope to win in bargaining have not been disclosed by the AWU-CWA, though keeping those goals close to the chest is by no means unusual.
Aaawww Google (Score:2)
Re: Aaawww Google (Score:2)
Well, they don't have them (Score:3)
I suppose it's a good thing we have leftist values outside of Google to make at least some of the things they'd be willing to do (to you) a crime.
staffing agency so can google pull out then the (Score:2)
staffing agency so can google pull out then the staffing agency will need to find an new place to stuff them as they can't just fire them now.
In totally unrelated news (Score:2)
11 person 'union'? (Score:2)
I mean...good for them but if i'm reading tfs correctly it was a whopping 11 people who voted.
I'm not a fan of unions *as they exist in the US today*. I'm also not a fan of companies abusing employees, but unions are generally so incredible corrupt that it's really just serving a different master.
I believe European unions are more people-focused and less corrupt...but that's purely from discussions with my EU coworkers.
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US unions may be corrupt. Or, you may just think that because the US is heavily propagandized with a constant stream of pro-capitalist, anti-worker rhetoric. Our oligarchs don't like unions, and they own the press and social media, so it is unlikely you will ever see anything pro-union, or even neutral. All you will see is "unions corrupt, just another boss who takes your money and gives you nothing." Which has been the consistent message our society puts out for the last fifty years or so.
I bet if you thin
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The problem with unions today is not normal unions, but with public employee unions. You only need to look at the increase in public employee wages and benefits over the years and how it has out paced the private sector.
Private employment sector unions like this?
I'm all in as I have personally seen the crap down by employers (former HR for an ambulance company).
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I'm a public employee and what the hell are you talking about? God damn I wish what you said was true. I can't even join our pitiful state workers union.
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/r... [pewtrusts.org]
Are you just talking police unions? Because I agree, police unions are fucked, and fucking us over. But regular public sector workers wages have not kept up with private sector wage increases, let alone topped them.
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"Wage data includes hazard pay and incentive-based pay but excludes benefits, broad-based bonuses, and most other forms of compensation."
That study only looks at wages only and not health benefits and the cost of those benefits along with retirement benefits. A great example is a BART train "operator". They operate nothing as the trains are automatic now. They pay next to nothing for there benefits and get a guaranteed pension.
https://www.independent.org/pu... [independent.org]
When they go on strike, they basically shut d
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Every worker should pay nothing for benefits and get a real pension. Why tear down some workers who have what all should have? Tear down the bosses, who all have far more than they will ever need. Don't race other workers to the bottom, stand in solidarity. You see a union man with a good wage and benefits? Cheer him on, tearing him down won't make you richer, only his boss. Use him as an example of why you should get more rather than saying he should get less.
BART train operator maximum pay is $62k per yea
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US unions may be corrupt. Or, you may just think that because the US is heavily propagandized with a constant stream of pro-capitalist, anti-worker rhetoric.
Just the standard amount of heavily inculcated anti-union pablum so many in the USA have been fed.
Except for some strange reason, there seems to be a reason they are making a comeback. I wonder why?
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How do you measure corruption? Below are come numbers, from here [unionfacts.com]:
How do you want to reform Unions? (Score:2)
I'm fine with Unions as they are today, but they're too weak thanks to decades of anti-Union legislation. Unions were mildly corrupted due to mob ties, but that was largely because they turned to the mob to protect them from the police (who let's not forget, would be used as anti-union enforcers all the way up to the late 70s and debatably beyond that).
A buddy of mine once got fired from a job and they had the local sheriff come in (armed) and hold everyone in a room until they agreed t
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the police (who let's not forget, would be used as anti-union enforcers
That is because unions regularly broke the law. Unions members have a right to strike and a right to picket. But they do not have a right to block roadways or throw rocks at scabs. If they do that, the police have a duty to intervene.
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A few voting seats on company boards would be a good start. Being able to easily switch which union you are aligned with would also be good. And compounding provisions for breaking contract, and actual criminal penalties for egregious ones.
The rest is up to enforcement. The contract isn't worth the paper it is written on without enforcement.
The rest falls on the typical problems with any type of representative election schemes.
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I mean...good for them but if i'm reading tfs correctly it was a whopping 11 people who voted.
I'm not a fan of unions *as they exist in the US today*. I'm also not a fan of companies abusing employees, but unions are generally so incredible corrupt that it's really just serving a different master.
I believe European unions are more people-focused and less corrupt...but that's purely from discussions with my EU coworkers.
Of course there end up being two masters. But your stance is pretty obvious anti union, apparently while not a "fan" of corporate abuse, but that the amount of corruption of all unions is so bad that it is not credible.
I'm assuming and hope that if you were in a union, you would be a whistleblower, or at least leave that company for a place that you are willingly abused by, as long as there was no union. I mean - the abuse is mucho better, amirite?
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Per wiki, an estimated $40 billion to $60 billion in total are lost annually due to all forms of wage theft.
Strange scale you have for measuring corruption.
Sending back the meal on the titanic (Score:2)
Unionizing now is akin to sending the steak back during dinner on April 14th 1912 in the Titanic's dining room.
Store Closing in (Score:2)
3... 2... 1...
(remember when Google decided it was ok to be evil?)
On the one hand (Score:2)
Not being retaliated against for the vote to unionize is a good thing. However, odds are the NLRB is going to have a few things to say about both companies failing to recognize the union vote in a timely fashion.
Please help me understand (Score:2)
I've never worked in or close to a unionized workforce before. I have very very limited knowledge, if at all, of what labor union is. In the recent years I hear that AMZ does everything it can to stop its employees from becoming a union. Can anyone help me understand the basic things about union? And why would a company want to stop its employees from forming unions. A 10 lines explanation would be very much appreciated. I'm not asking for any political response. I genuinely want to learn wh
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Unions have three purposes (Score:2)