Two software engineers working at the Alphabet group, Google's parent company, have just triggered a ‘mini-bomb’ in the form of their newly created Alphabet Workers Union (AWU) that is affiliated with the CWA, Communication Workers of America, which traditionally represents telecommunications and media personnel in North America. Rather than assuming a negotiating role (AWU is a minority trade union) the AWU body instead intends to draw attention to certain discriminatory practices for which the Google is being criticized.
Software ‘geeks’ Parul Koul and Chewy Shaw, newly president and vice-president respectively of the AWU, have seen the union’s ranks swell by more than 200 Google employees who have also decided to become members. An initiative like this seldom occurs in Silicon Valley, since young high-tech-giant employees are very well paid, rarely consider labour-body organizing, and prefer to discuss working conditions directly with their managers. However for the past two years anger at Google has been...
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