Google must bargain with YouTube worker union, US labor board rules
By Daniel Wiessner
(Reuters) -Alphabet Inc's Google violated U.S. labor law by refusing to bargain with a union representing contract workers for YouTube Music, a federal agency has ruled.
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in a decision on Wednesday rejected claims by Google, which owns YouTube, that it should not be considered the employer of workers provided by staffing firm Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ:CTSH).
The group of YouTube Music content operation workers voted 41-0 last April to join the Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Workers Union, which was formed three years ago to organize the company's employees.
The labor board in July upheld the election results, rejecting Google's claim that it did not have enough control over the workers to be considered a so-called «joint employer» that must bargain with their union.
Employers cannot appeal decisions in election cases, so Google refused to bargain in order to get the case back before the NLRB.
The NLRB on Wednesday said the company had not raised any new issues warranting review.
Google in a statement said it would ask a federal appeals court to review the ruling.
«As we've said before, we have no objection to these Cognizant employees selecting to form a union. We simply believe it's only appropriate for Cognizant, as their employer, to engage in collective bargaining,» the company said.
Katie-Marie Marschner, a YouTube Music worker and member of the union, said in a statement that Google and Cognizant have made various changes to working conditions without bargaining, including requiring workers to return to the office and removing sick pay.
«Any future appeals by Alphabet are just an attempt to avoid collectively bargaining with the union and pad the
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