Layoffs at Youtube Music
A number of workers from Google’s YouTube Music division lost their jobs as a result of a protracted protest last year during which they demanded higher pay from the business.
The Alphabet Workers Union-CWA has revealed that the impacted employees were let off by Google contractor Cognizant in Austin, Texas, as detailed in a piece published by The Verge.
Workers Claim Unfair Treatment in the Layoff Process Due to Lack of Notice
43 contractors who were part of the YouTube Music team apparently lost their jobs as a result of speaking out in favor of better compensation and benefits.
Google and its subcontractor, Cognizant, both employed the contractors. Google, however, insisted that it was not accountable for the layoffs. A YouTube data analyst named Jack Benedict was seen pleading with the Austin City Council to support his union’s negotiations with Google in a video that went viral on social media.
Alphabet Union Cites Low Pay and Opposition to Bargaining
The YouTube Music crew, according to the AWU, was underpaid, and some employees had to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. They claim that despite contributing to a billion-dollar platform, employees only received meager benefits.
Jack Benedict was interrupted mid-address to reveal the devastating news that he and the other forty-three members of his team had been let go. Benedict described his emotion as “speechless, shocked, and didn’t know what to do,” but he also highlighted a general feeling of fury. The workers argued that their dismissal was a warning to other workers not to make similar demands, acting as a consequence for their activism. In addition, the employees alleged, as reported by The Washington Post, that they received no prior warning of their layoffs.
