Google Bard AI Contractors Unionize Following Dispute Over Alleged Retaliatory Layoffs

Contractors vote 26-2 to join Alphabet Workers Union after alleging Google and Accenture laid off members for labor organization efforts, further intensifying the tech giant's ongoing labor issues.

Google contractors, who are part of the Google Content Creation Operations team, have voted 26-2 to join the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU). This comes after allegations that Google and its subcontractor, Accenture, laid off members for their efforts to organize and establish better pay, benefits, and legal protections.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that Google and Accenture can be considered joint employers of the Google Content Creation Operations team, a decision Google is currently appealing.
The contractors previously worked on enhancing Google's AI, Bard, by fact-checking its responses, and expressed concerns over exposure to extreme and graphic content. After a complaint to Accenture's Human Resources department, their work was outsourced to lower-paid workers in the Philippines.
Over 80 out of the 119 team members were reportedly laid off after expressing their intent to unionize. The remaining members accuse Google of trying to evade its responsibilities as an employer and have filed a complaint with the NLRB alleging retaliatory layoffs.
This is the second time this year that US contractors for Google have voted to unionize. In April, YouTube contractors employed by another company, Cognizant, successfully voted to join the AWU.