‍Unionized Google Tech Workers Speak Out Against Trump Admin’s H-1B Proclamation

Alphabet Workers Union Leadership and Members Call on Google To Take A Meaningful Stand In Support Of Its H-1B Workforce

(NEW YORK, NY) - This morning, leadership and members of the Alphabet Workers Union-CWA Local 9009 gathered outside the NYC Google offices at 550 Washington Street to speak out against the Trump administration’s recent H-1B proclamation and to call on Google to use its immense power and platform to stand up for its workforce.  

A video recording of the press conference is available for reporter use and can be accessed here.

(Full names of speakers in the video include: Parul Koul, President of AWU; software engineers and AWU members Lu Liu and Tim Traversy; Hae-Lin Choi, Political Director of CWA District 1; and Tim Dubnau, Organizing Director of Communications Workers of America.)

“We call on Google to use its immense power to take a meaningful stand for its H-1B workers, and for all immigrant workers at the company. Google workers make this company run and immigrants are a crucial part of that workforce. We deserve to have dignity and respect, and to have our contributions valued. Our union has been fighting for tech workers and fighting for job security for years for all workers. This new change is a tactic of division and a tactic of distraction. This is a call to all tech workers across the industry – this is a clear sign that we need to unionize so we make sure we have a voice and real power,” said Parul Koul, President of Alphabet Workers Union-CWA Local 9009 and software engineer at Google.

“This constant job insecurity doesn't just hurt visa holders. It deeply affects our American colleagues, too. The instability makes it harder for all of us to do our jobs and keep Google innovative and competitive. This shared sense of insecurity is what prompted us, as members of the Alphabet Workers Union, to launch the job security campaign earlier this year, where Googlers regardless of their nationality or immigration status came together to demand greater job security from the company leadership. To date, we’ve pushed Google to offer voluntary exit programs to over 60,000 of our coworkers. But we’ve also heard from our coworkers on H1-B visas about the fear of losing their legal status, which is why we just added a new demand to allow laid-off employees, especially visa workers, to use their severance to extend their time on payroll. This would give them more time to find a new job and secure their status in the US. I’m calling on all of my fellow Googlers today to sign on to the job security campaign and take part in our next actions. As tech workers, we must stand together to ensure we have the job security we deserve – not just at Google, but for the entire industry,” said Lu Liu, Member of Alphabet Workers Union-CWA Local 9009 and software engineer at Google.

“History shows us that attacks on vulnerable groups are always just the tip of the spear. And already we’ve seen a series of anti-worker moves from the Trump administration, from terminating collective bargaining agreements with federal unions, to a campaign to declare the NLRB unconstitutional. When they announce these decisions, they're testing us to see how much we're going to put up with. Now is not the time to keep our heads down and hope for the best. We must reject these divisive strategies totally, and choose to fight for job security for all. Our employer Google has a choice to make. They are one of the largest and most powerful companies in the US. Will they stand with the immigrant workers that helped build this company? They can do that today, by providing the common sense ‘severance as leave’ option. As an American citizen it makes me sad and angry that these shameful decisions are being made in my name. And I know from speaking with my coworkers on visas that they are scared that if they demand fair treatment at work, they will be retaliated against. So I call on all Googlers to stand in solidarity with our immigrant coworkers, because we cannot fight any of this alone,” said Tim Traversy, Member of Alphabet Workers Union-CWA Local 9009 and software engineer at Google.

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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 at www.alphabetworkersunion.org; Twitter: @alphabetworkers; Facebook: AlphabetWorkers; Bluesky: alphabetworkersunion.org; LinkedIn: Alphabet Workers Union; Instagram:@alphabetworkers