Google unions form global alliance representing 20 million employees

Google employees from across the globe are forming a union alliance, weeks after workers at the search engine giant and other units of parent company Alphabet Inc formed a labor union for US and Canadian offices.

UNI Global Union, that represents about 20 million workers globally, said on Monday it helped form Alpha Global, Google's union alliance that includes multiple countries such as the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and the UK.

Alpha Global will fight for the rights of full-time Alphabet employees as well as temporary, vendor and contract workers, UNI Global said.
 

"The problems at Alphabet ... are not limited to any one country, and must be addressed on a global level," UNI's General Secretary Christy Hoffman said.

Alphabet did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After years of protests over working conditions and business practices, 200 Google workers formed Alphabet Workers Union, a so-called "minority union," in early January.

Under US labor law, Alphabet can ignore the union's demands until a majority of employees support it.

In January. more than 200 workers at Google and other Alphabet Inc units formed a labor union for US and Canadian offices, building on years of protests over working conditions and business practices but falling far short of the support needed to force the tech giant to the bargaining table.

Labor activism is creeping into the tech industry as workers and regulators grapple with the power of sprawling internet companies including Alphabet.