We, the workers of YouTube Music, employed by Cognizant Technology Solutions and Google, are on a ULP strike after both companies retaliated against o

YouTube Music Content Operations

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2023-02-03 21:30:17

We, the workers of YouTube Music, employed by Cognizant Technology Solutions and Google, are on a ULP strike after both companies retaliated against our legal right to unionize.

The vast majority of us were hired remotely, from all over Texas and all over the country. After we filed for our union election, the companies announced a “return to office” plan, telling our coworkers that if they didn’t move to Austin and report to the office, they would lose their jobs. Our employers are now threatening to move our work overseas or take other actions against us if we support our union.

(Austin, Texas)—On Tuesday, January 23, 2023, Alphabet Workers Union-CWA formally filed an Unfair Labor Practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board against Alphabet, the Google parent company, along with Alphabet subcontractor Cognizant. The charge was filed on behalf of the supermajority of workers at YouTube Music Content Operations who filed for union recognition from the NLRB as members of Alphabet Workers Union-CWA on October 21, 2022. Workers are being forced to return to office on February 6, 2023 after two years of successfully working from home. A majority of workers were hired remotely and nearly a quarter of workers are not based in Texas. The upcoming return to office date threatens the livelihoods of workers who do not live in the Austin area. As this could result in the loss of jobs for members of the 58 person unit, workers are demanding no RTO policies be put in place until workers are able to negotiate such policies with Alphabet and Cognizant, following their successful union election.

“Right now, the vast majority of our unit is ready to vote YES in an NLRB election. In an act of retaliation against our organizing efforts, our employer is forcing an end to remote work before the vote, which would dramatically interfere with the fair voting conditions mandated by federal law. Many of us live out of state, and all of us are so underpaid that we cannot afford the gas, childcare, and skyrocketing local rent that would be required for us to work at the Austin Cognizant office. We have blossomed into a rich and wonderful remote culture, and done outstanding work from home for nearly three years. Our new CEO Ravi Kumar has publicly emphasized the effectiveness of remote work, and we are a clear testament to this view. We’re calling on Google and Cognizant to pause on RTO until we’re able to negotiate fair terms as a certified bargaining unit,” said Sam Regan, Music Generalist and member of the Alphabet Workers Union-CWA.