On Wednesday, April 8, The National Labor Relations Board determined that Google violated Section 8(a)(5) and (1) of the NLRA by refusing to bargain with the Alphabet Workers Union during negotiations with Accenture. This comes as no surprise to the many Temporary, Vendors and Contractors (TVCs) who work on contracts solely for Google despite being paid by a third party.

“We’re excited to once again be affirmed by the NLRB,” said Mitchell Kernot, a Senior Writer on the content creation team at Accenture. “All we’ve been asking for is our seat at the table, to discuss our rights and needs as employees in a changing industry. It’s time for Google to do their part and come to the table in good faith.”

Google needs to take responsibility, follow the law, and negotiate with the Alphabet Workers Union. Since the original joint-employer ruling, Google has tried to reorganize their operations in many ways to challenge the legal determination by the Board. Despite this attempt, it continues to be impossible for Accenture to be the sole Employer when Google still has full control over the work that’s performed. Every minor change they make is just an attempt to evade accountability.

“This is a victory for temps, vendors and contractors around the industry who just want to have a say in their benefits and working conditions,” said Tahlia Kirk, a writer and team trainer at Accenture. “We’re glad the NLRB made the right decision and affirmed our right to bargain with Google, and are hopeful they will come to the table so we can get a fair next contract.”

We demand that Google come to the bargaining table in good faith instead of appealing this to Federal Court, which would only be seeking a bail out from the Trump-appointee dominated conservative court in DC.

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Alphabet Workers Union-CWA Local 9009 is a union of Alphabet workers in the U.S. and Canada, including full-time employees, temps, vendors, and contractors. For more information, please visit our website, www.alphabetworkersunion.org; Twitter,@alphabetworkers; Facebook, AlphabetWorkers; Bluesky, alphabetworkersunion.org; LinkedIn, Alphabet Workers Union; or Instagram, @alphabetworkers

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