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Google Had Secret Project to ‘Convince’ Employees ‘That Unions Suck’

vice.com

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Re: Google Had Secret Project to ‘Convince’ Employees ‘That Unions Suck’

#11

Post by vmception »

mrits wrote: post #5

Yeah, let's focus on the company that pays their employees 15x minimum wage and has top tier vacation, healthcare, and maternity/paternity leave.

Its a trillion dollar company with some/many employees delivering quite a bit more value than they are paid

1) Collectively getting the better stake of the pie influences other organizations compensation methods/amounts

2) the market is telling employees what to do, meaning that it doesn’t matter that an individual can do far more work for less pay somewhere else - just don’t do those things.

Re: Google Had Secret Project to ‘Convince’ Employees ‘That Unions Suck’

#12

Post by yunwal »

mrits wrote: post #5

Yeah, let's focus on the company that pays their employees 15x minimum wage and has top tier vacation, healthcare, and maternity/paternity leave.

Unions also don't need to be used for personal compensation and benefits. Plenty of software unions fighting for the ethical interests of the employees, which is an area where Google leaves a lot to be desired.

Re: Google Had Secret Project to ‘Convince’ Employees ‘That Unions Suck’

#13

Post by drawfloat »

mrits wrote: post #5

Yeah, let's focus on the company that pays their employees 15x minimum wage and has top tier vacation, healthcare, and maternity/paternity leave.

Apart from the majority of their workforce who are classed as TVCs and do not enjoy most of those benefits/only enjoyed some since staff walked off two years ago.

Hell, in many places they haven't even been paying what they legally are required to: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/sep/10/google-un...

Re: Google Had Secret Project to ‘Convince’ Employees ‘That Unions Suck’

#14

Post by mandmandam »

> Google fired the workers in 2019 after they organized against the company’s contracts with immigration detention agencies.

Wooow. That was at the height of ICE being shown as deeply corrupt and racist child abusers. (They still are, but it hasn't been used as a stick to beat Biden with because 'reasons').

>the NLRB issued a federal complaint against Google for illegally firing and surveilling the four software engineers

Illegal surveillance. By fucking Google. Scary scary shit.

> Kara Silverstein, Google’s human resources director said that she “like[d] the idea” of the op-ed, but that it should be executed so that “there would be no fingerprints and not Google specific.”

So, she knew how uncool/illegal that looks. Schwifty.

Looking at how other outlets have covered this - looking at you, NYT - it's pretty fucking awful that the best coverage is coming from Vice.

Re: Google Had Secret Project to ‘Convince’ Employees ‘That Unions Suck’

#15

Post by rsj_hn »

hdjjhhvvhga wrote: post #6

I don't believe it's only Google, and I don't think it's particularly secret.

Yes, that companies don't like unions and do what they can to discourage unionization isn't newsworthy. Finding a company that encourages unionization would be newsworthy!

Re: Google Had Secret Project to ‘Convince’ Employees ‘That Unions Suck’

#16

Post by raxxorrax »

AlexandrB wrote: post #8
raxxorrax wrote: post #2

Quoted post unavailable.

> Unions just spread hatred and anything they say could be classified as hate speech. Man, companies really hate negotiating wages/benefits with a party that has equal power. Reminds me of: Michael Scott : I am a victim of a hate crime. Stanley knows what I'm talking about. Stanley : That's not what a hate crime is. Michael Scott : Well, I hated it, a lot, okay.

Sorry, it was an tongue in cheek comment not appropriate for HN. I believe the problem with censorship through the veneer of hate speech should be obvious. Only way to hinder corporate and state censorship being extended is if the factions that supported it come to their senses. They are far greater in numbers than those that thought it through.

Re: Google Had Secret Project to ‘Convince’ Employees ‘That Unions Suck’

#17

Post by mandmandam »

mrits wrote: post #5

Yeah, let's focus on the company that pays their employees 15x minimum wage and has top tier vacation, healthcare, and maternity/paternity leave.

While helping ICE traumatize kids for life, and illegally surveilling employees who quit over it.

Ew.

Re: Google Had Secret Project to ‘Convince’ Employees ‘That Unions Suck’

#18

Post by AlexandrB »

mrits wrote: post #5

Yeah, let's focus on the company that pays their employees 15x minimum wage and has top tier vacation, healthcare, and maternity/paternity leave.

Could also be rephrased: let's focus on the company that was probably colluding with its competitors to keep wages artificially low[1].

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/24/apple-goo...

Re: Google Had Secret Project to ‘Convince’ Employees ‘That Unions Suck’

#19

Post by xhkkffbf »

hdjjhhvvhga wrote: post #6

I don't believe it's only Google, and I don't think it's particularly secret.

Exactly. The NYT had some breathless story about this supposedly once secret fact. Yet their own management was pushing back hard on the Wirecutter union.

If the management wanted to really confuse the line workers, they would celebrate the union with some reverse reverse psychology.

Re: Google Had Secret Project to ‘Convince’ Employees ‘That Unions Suck’

#20

Post by eli_gottlieb »

mrits wrote: post #5

Yeah, let's focus on the company that pays their employees 15x minimum wage and has top tier vacation, healthcare, and maternity/paternity leave.

Yeah, let's break the oligopolist up and give workers more bargaining power.
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