YouTube Music Layoffs: Workers Demanding Better Pay Get Terminated By Google; Watch Video

A group of employees within Google's YouTube Music team has been removed from their positions following an extended protest in the past year, where they advocated for improved compensation from the company.

As outlined in a report by The Verge, the Alphabet Workers Union-CWA has disclosed that the affected employees were terminated by the Google contractor Cognizant in Austin, Texas.

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Lack of Notice: Workers Allege Unfair Treatment in Layoff Process

A YouTube Music team consisting of 43 contractors reportedly faced job terminations after advocating for improved pay and benefits.

The contractors were employed by both Google and its subcontractor, Cognizant. However, Google asserted that it bore no responsibility for the layoffs. In a widely circulated video on social media, Jack Benedict, a YouTube data analyst, was observed urging the Austin City Council to endorse his union's negotiations with Google.

this is the exact moment our coworkers found out we had been laid off while speaking in front of city council pic.twitter.com/IcsCszGe3Z

¡ª jacob (@peepaw_) March 1, 2024

In the midst of his address, Jack Benedict received the disheartening news that his entire 43-person team, including himself, had been laid off. Describing his reaction, Benedict expressed being "speechless, shocked, and didn't know what to do," but emphasized a prevailing sense of anger. The workers contended that their termination served as an example, a repercussion for their advocacy, aimed at dissuading other employees from making similar demands. Additionally, the workers claimed they were not provided with any advance notice regarding their layoffs, according to The Washington Post report.

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A member of the union and a worker at YouTube Music asserted that both Google and Cognizant implemented multiple alterations to working conditions without engaging in negotiations. These changes reportedly involved compelling workers to return to the office and eliminating sick pay.

In February of the previous year, more than 40 YouTube Music employees initiated a strike, advocating for alterations to Google's return-to-work policy. The Alphabet Workers Union-CWA highlighted that numerous remote workers within the YouTube Music team were receiving compensation as low as $19 per hour(Rs 1,575 approx).

Google's Deflection: Responsibility for Layoffs Shifted to Cognizant

Nonetheless, Courtenay Mencini, a spokesperson for Google, informed The Verge that the responsibility for the team's reduction did not rest with Google but rather with Cognizant.

Simultaneously, the Chief Communications Officer at Cognizant stated that the affected team members would receive seven weeks of pay and be provided with opportunities to secure alternative roles within the company.

Earlier Google argued that it should not be considered the employer of workers provided by staffing firm Cognizant Technology Solutions.

AFP

In response to the situation, a Google spokesperson conveyed in an email statement to The Verge, "Contracts with our suppliers across the country routinely end on their natural expiry date." Meanwhile, Cognizant asserted that their contract concluded "naturally," and the layoffs were integrated into their regular business operations.

However, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) rejected claims by Google in January this year and said Google violated US labor law.

NLRB ruled that because Google controlled benefits, hours of work, and the direction of the work of the contractors, it counted as a partial employer.

Google in a statement said it would ask a federal appeals court to review the ruling.

This development follows the unionization vote by YouTube Music contract workers last year, where they advocated for improved pay and benefits, along with flexible return-to-office policies. Notably, Google declined to engage in negotiations with the contract workers at that time, citing their non-employee status within the company.