We do essential work, from marketing, to running engineering teams, to feeding you and the rest of the Google staff — all without fair benefits or recognition,' the letter from the anonymous temporary workers says.
Google is facing another personnel headache, this time over its treatment of contract and temporary workers.
On Wednesday, the workers published an open letter, demanding the tech giant improve their wages and benefits. "It is clear that we will continue to be mistreated and ignored if we stay silent," reads the letter.
The letter's writers are anonymous, but they claim to represent Google's "shadow work force," which has decided to speak up over the company's failure to address workplace conditions for temporary workers. "We do essential work, from marketing, to running engineering teams, to feeding you and the rest of the Google staff—all without fair benefits or recognition," the letter reads. "Google cannot function without us."
The excessive and unclear rules surrounding TVCs, in addition to the constant fear of our contracts not being renewed, makes it difficult for us to speak out. However, it is clear that we will continue to be mistreated and ignored if we stay silent.
Google has the power — and the money — to ensure that we are treated equitably, with respect and dignity.
As we stated during the walkout, we need transparency, accountability, and structural change to ensure equity for all Google workers.
The excessive and unclear rules surrounding TVCs, in addition to the constant fear of our contracts not being renewed, makes it difficult for us to speak out. However, it is clear that we will continue to be mistreated and ignored if we stay silent.
Google has the power — and the money — to ensure that we are treated equitably, with respect and dignity.
As we stated during the walkout, we need transparency, accountability, and structural change to ensure equity for all Google workers.
The letter was published a month after a massive employee-led walkout that occurred at Google offices across the world. Over 20,000 employees—including contract workers—participated in the protest and demanded that the company improve the way it handles workplace sexual harassment and discrimination.
In response, the tech giant made several changes to better support employees who report sexual misconduct. However, the walkout's organizers say Google ignored other demands, including a call to give full rights and protections to contract workers.
"We wear different badges from full-time employees, which reinforces this arbitrary and discriminatory separation," Wednesday's letter reads. "Even when we're doing the same work as full-time employees, these jobs routinely fail to provide living wages and often offer minimal benefits."
The letter goes on to demand that Google end its practice of only allowing full-time employees access to certain company-sponsored information. This includes permitting temporary workers to partake in Google's "town hall meetings." The authors point to the shooting that occurred at YouTube's Silicon Valley offices in April as an example over why this change is needed.
"The company sent real-time security updates to full-time employees only, leaving TVCs (temporary, vendor and contract workers) defenseless in the line of fire. TVCs were then excluded from a town hall discussion the following day," the letter reads.
Google declined to comment on the letter. In recent months, the company's employees have grown more vocal in protesting the tech giant's policies. Last week, some staffers went public with their opposition to a Google effort to re-enter the Chinese market with a censored search engine by signing a separate open letter critical of the plan. That letter now has over 700 signatures.
Source: https://www.pcmag.com/news/365312/googles-contract-workers-demand-better-pay-and-treatment