Hitachi Ltd., a vendor for Alphabet Inc., is facing allegations from the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU) for unlawfully restricting Google AI contract staff from discussing their pay and terminating an employee for initiating wage conversations. The union filed a complaint with the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Hitachi’s subsidiary, GlobalLogic Inc., which oversees about 1,800 employees working on Google’s AI projects. The complaint claims that GlobalLogic implemented a new policy prohibiting wage discussions in online forums, while allowing other non-work-related topics.
The policy was reportedly introduced after employee Ricardo Levario raised concerns about pay and was subsequently fired, which the union argues has created a chilling effect on other employees’ willingness to speak up. Levario expressed frustration, noting that despite their contribution to valuable AI products, efforts to advocate for better working conditions have led to intimidation and job loss.
Google stated that while they carefully select suppliers and expect fair treatment of workers, Hitachi is responsible for the employment conditions of its staff. An audio recording shared by the AWU revealed a manager discouraging discussions about pay and benefits in favor of lighter topics.
US law protects employees’ rights to discuss working conditions, and the NLRB can investigate complaints, but lacks the authority to impose punitive damages on companies. In recent years, other groups of Google contract staff have successfully unionized with AWU, but Alphabet has contested its responsibility towards these workers in federal court. The union landscape has become more challenging, especially after recent changes in NLRB leadership under the Biden Administration, which has raised concerns among unions regarding the treatment of contract workers.
