Nearly two years in the past, contractors for Google’s Pittsburgh operations voted to affix the United Steelworkers union in a bid to safe extra labor rights illustration. It was an early instance of a constructing union motion for tech employees throughout the spectrum. But as different hard-fought battles have been waged amongst blue and white collar employees alike, either side have continued hashing out negotiations. This week, these have lastly resulted in one thing extra concrete.
The contract employees held out for what they believed to be comparable remedy as others within the tech trade. At the time, it appeared Google hoped to remain out of the fray with HCL Technologies, the consulting firm that staffed the employees.
“We work with lots of partners, many of which have unionized workforces, and many of which don’t,” Google mentioned following the preliminary union vote. “As with all our partners, whether HCL’s employees unionize or not is between them and their employer. We’ll continue to partner with HCL.”
According to the USW, the 65 Pittsburgh-based employees have ratified the contract with HCL. It’s a three-year-deal that covers working situations, job safety and wages, per a observe from the union.
“After close to two years of hard work, patience and solidarity from our members at HCL, we are proud of what we achieved in this agreement,” USW President Tom Conway mentioned in a launch tied to the information. “More than ever, our struggle with HCL shows that all workers deserve the protections and benefits of a union contract.”
Last week, with the deal nearing completion, HCL mentioned in an announcement offered to The Verge, “Throughout this process, HCL has been actively engaged in meaningful and fair discussions with the USW in good faith. We have been steadfast in our commitment to respect our employees’ right to pursue unionization should they choose to do so.”
In a launch issued by USW, nevertheless, bargaining committee member Renata Nelson notes some clear rigidity within the course of. “After ignoring our concerns, HCL tried to prevent us from forming a union, and when it failed, the company dragged out the negotiating process while sending our jobs overseas in retaliation,” Parks mentioned within the launch. “Now, with a strong union and contract in place, we’re confident that our voices will be heard.”
We’ve reached out to Google for remark.
