Google contractors get pay rise after union reveals low wages and benefits
The Alphabet Workers Union said Monday that thousands of contract workers who rated Alphabet Inc.’s Google search and advertising quality received a pay rise that brought workers’ wages to $15 an hour, according to a Bloomberg report allegedly documenting inadequate wages and benefits.
The AWU estimates that up to 5,000 workers received the raise, resulting in “millions in collective pay rises for workers,” according to a press release. The pay rise came after AWU, which has no right to collective bargaining, held rallies on both U.S. coasts to draw attention to working conditions and filed a petition demanding that all workers receive the benefits that Google in published its minimum standard of benefits for its extended workforce.
“We are so thrilled that our combined efforts are yielding another raise,” said Michelle Curtis, a Google contractor and member of AWU, in a statement. But Curtis added that Google and Appen Ltd., which employ the workers who get the raise, could do even better. The wage increase is set to go into effect by the end of 2023, according to an email announcement the workers received and viewed by Bloomberg. “Now is the time for Appen and Google to ensure that every reviewer can get sick and have access to basic health insurance,” she said.
Appen did not respond to a request for comment. In an earlier statement to Bloomberg, Google said it relies on suppliers to manage employment conditions for contract workers, including pay and benefits.
Learn how to navigate and build trust in your organization with The Trust Factor, a weekly newsletter exploring what leaders need to succeed. Login here.
