Google Terminates Contracts With YouTube Music Team Members Demanding Higher Pay

Image Credit: Pixabay

New Year: Earlier this year, Google took action by removing a group of employees from its YouTube Music team who had been engaged in a prolonged protest. These employees had been advocating for better pay from the tech giant.

The Alphabet Workers Union-CWA, which represents contractors for YouTube Music, reported that Google's contractor, Cognizant in Austin, Texas, decided to terminate contracts due to the strike, as per The Verge. Cognizant was tasked with approving music content for YouTube Music. ()

Last February, more than 40 employees from YouTube Music went on strike, seeking revisions to Google's policy for returning to work. The Alphabet Workers Union-CWA stated that numerous remote workers at YouTube Music were compensated as low as $19 per hour. ()

Nonetheless, Courtenay Mencini, a spokesperson for Google, informed The Verge that the responsibility for downsizing the team did not rest with Google but instead with Cognizant. On the other hand, the chief communications officer of Cognizant mentioned that the team would receive seven weeks of pay and chances to secure another position within Cognizant.

Previously, Google contended that it shouldn't be viewed as the employer of workers supplied by staffing company Cognizant Technology Solutions. However, in January of this year, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) dismissed Google's assertions and stated that Google had breached US labor laws.

The NLRB determined that since Google managed benefits, work hours, and guided the tasks of the contractors, it was considered a partial employer. Google announced that it would seek a review of the ruling from a federal appeals court.

A worker at YouTube Music who is also a member of the union stated that Google and Cognizant have implemented several alterations to working conditions without negotiation. These changes include mandating employees to return to the office and eliminating sick pay.

According to CNBC, it's not just the YouTube Music contractors who are challenging Google to acknowledge them as employees. The NLRB stated that Google could be considered a partial employer for unionized contractors working with Accenture, who were involved in projects related to Google Search and Bard before its rebranding.