NEWS: Senator Sanders & Congressman Casar Denounce Anti-Union Actions in Letter to Google; Support YouTube Music Workers on Strike
Sanders & Casar: “Our request to Google is simple: ensure workers can freely exercise their rights”
AUSTIN, Texas — Today, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas)sent a letter to Alphabet, Inc. and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, calling for the company to end alleged retaliation and union busting against YouTube Music workers in Austin, Texas.
“The skilled creators behind YouTube Music aren’t high paid tech employees: in fact, many are only paid $19 an hour despite Google’s massive profits,” said Congressman Greg Casar (D-Texas). “YouTube Music workers — my constituents — are asking for their rights to be respected and for decent wages. Every single worker has the right to a union, and this is another example of alleged retaliation.”
“All workers have the right to unionize without fear of retaliation,” Sen. Bernie Sanders, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said. “I’m proud to stand with striking YouTube Music workers who are standing up for fair working conditions and return to office policies.”
“We write to express our serious concern regarding alleged retaliation taken against YouTube Music workers who are exercising their legal right to organize… Mr. Pichai, your $60 billion in profits last year enables you to not only treat your workers fairly, but also recognize the invaluable contributions YouTube Music workers bring to your company and our community.
“Our request to you is simple: Ensure that all Google workers, including YouTube Music workers, are able to freely exercise their right to join a union as guaranteed by federal law.”
Workers have filed federal complaints at the National Labor Relations Board, claiming that Google-affiliated contractor Cognizant has illegally retaliated against the union organizing effort. Despite the facade that all tech workers are highly paid with good benefits, many workers who make technology companies billions in profits are subcontracted out and paid so little that they cannot make ends meet.
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Congressman Greg Casar represents Texas’s 35th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which runs down I-35 from East Austin to Hays County to the West Side of San Antonio. A labor organizer and son of Mexican immigrants, Casar serves as the Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the 118th Congress. He also serves on the Committee on Oversight and Accountability and the Committee on Agriculture.