Google Fiber TVC Workers in Kansas City Unionize with Alphabet Workers Union & File Petition with NLRB to Win Bargaining Rights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press contact: press@alphabetworkersunion.org

(Kansas City, Missouri) — A supermajority of workers at BDS Connected Solutions, a Google Fiber subcontractor, have signed union cards and filed with the NLRB to win union recognition and bargaining power on the job. This filing comes on the heels of the one-year anniversary of the launch of the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU-CWA Local 1400). Workers were already dues-paying members of AWU-CWA and are now calling on the NLRB to grant them the bargaining rights that they have earned by successfully organizing their workplace in Kansas City, Missouri. These bargaining rights would force Alphabet to recognize the Alphabet Workers Union as the bargaining unit for workers.

“All Alphabet workers deserve a union and a say in how their workplace is run, no matter where they’re located, what their employment status is, or what kind of conditions they work under. On the year anniversary of the launch of AWU, we are proud to be standing alongside Google contractors demanding bargaining rights against a billion dollar tech giant who refuses to treat all workers equally. We are inspired by our colleagues in Kansas City for bringing the union to the National Labor Relations Board and for paving the way for AWU-CWA members to have bargaining rights and a seat at the table,” said Parul Koul, a software engineer at Alphabet Inc.’s Google and the executive chair of the Alphabet Workers Union.

A total of 10 out of the 11 eligible employees have signed union cards with AWU-CWA. The workers work for BDS Connected Solutions, a contractor which provides Google Fiber customer service. Both the Alphabet subcontractor, BDS Connected Solutions, and Alphabet will be listed as joint employers on the filing.

“Google Fiber actually began in Kansas City. Some of us have been working here for years and want to make sure that all of our coworkers have the power to keep the things we like about our job, but also continue to make our workplace better. We organized with AWU-CWA so that we all get a seat at the table, a say in our working conditions, and collective bargaining power,” said Eris Derickson, Retail Associate - Google and BDS Connected Solutions.

By ensuring both full time Alphabet workers and contractors alike have a protected voice on the job, the Kansas City chapter of AWU-CWA is paving the way for industry-wide standards that will better the shared working conditions at Alphabet, Silicon Valley, and beyond. The union filing from Kansas City makes it clear that AWU-CWA is gearing up to win bargaining rights to secure more for workers within Alphabet Inc.

“We are glad to welcome the workers of BDS Connected Solutions as members of CWA Local 1400. AWU-CWA has been a powerhouse since its inception and we are ecstatic to help Alphabet workers grow their worker power and finally have bargaining rights, ensuring their voices are not only represented within the tech industry, but heard,” said Don Trementozzi, the president of CWA Local 1400.

Since the launch of AWU-CWA on January 4, 2021, the union has grown in both membership and impact, positively shaping working conditions for countless Alphabet workers. Some key moments from the past year include:

• Workers launched our union on Jan. 4th with 200 members, culminating years of internal organizing. The union has since grown to 800+ members.
• We supported Shannon Wait, an Alphabet TVC worker & AWU member in filing a ULP and winning her job back at Modis after she was retaliated against for discussing pay and other workplace issues. Shannon Wait is now one of AWU’s full time organizers and continues to support Alphabet TVC’s in addressing issues in their workplaces.
• Google workers called on Google to do more to end harassment in the workplace via a petition drafted by workers and signed by over 1,000 workers. AWU supported the petition and has spoken out against countless instances of workplace harassment experienced by workers at the company.
• We helped Google BOLD Interns secure a $5,000 housing and WFH supply stipend after Google initially cut funding for the program. Google BOLD interns come from communities underrepresented in the tech sphere and securing this funding gave many interns necessary stability to support themselves and their loved ones impacted by the financial toll of the pandemic.
• We joined demands calling on Google to include an anti-caste discrimination clause within their US-focused Code of Conduct statement, following a lawsuit filed by Department of Fair Employment and Housing against Cisco.
• We launched the Drop The Dead Names campaign & successfully supported Phares Lee in being issued a new ID badge and set a new precedent within Google regarding the removal of dead names.
• We continue to support demands by Google childcare workers to receive a commute stipend after being forced to return to work while Google’s shuttle service remained closed. Workers make $25/hr and thus transportation costs are excessively taxing on these workers.
• We continue to fight to end Alphabet’s two-tiered employment system and raise concerns regarding issues of pay disparity between TVC’s and FTE. In one instance, AWU organized a petition, signed by hundreds of Google workers, calling on Google to immediately pay back the wages owed to TVC’s abroad who were knowingly underpaid by Google.
• We supported Google data center workers in winning back $200,000 in attendance bonuses from Modis. These workers have continued to work on site as an essential part of Google’s infrastructure even in the midst of the pandemic.
• We have also hired several full-time organizers focusing on various areas within the company to continue to strengthen worker organizing efforts across Alphabet.

In 2022, we will continue to support worker-led struggles within Alphabet and organize to win positive changes for all workers.