Unionization Frenzy Catches On With Google's Third-Party Cafeteria Workers

Unite Here, a 300,000-member union of hotel and food service workers, has strived to unionize Silicon Valley cafeteria workers since 2018, experiencing maximum success at Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL Google, the Washington Post reports.
The cooks and servers behind Google's popular cafeterias are third-party contractors deprived of the generous perks and benefits.
Employed by the contract companies Compass and Guckenheimer, those unionized now make up 90% of total food services workers at Google.
Also Read: New Starbucks CEO To Focus On Unions, Pay And Benefits As Part Of 'Reinvention' Plan
Workers have unionized at 23 Google offices nationwide, including in Seattle and San Jose.
Google workers in Atlanta employed by Sodexo cafeteria company voiced their list of demands, including their plan to unionize. Around 6% of workers in Georgia are unionized, compared with 18% in California and 24% in New York.
Google acknowledged its broadmindedness over unionization.
The average unionized worker at a Google cafeteria makes $24 an hour, pays little to nothing for health insurance, and has access to a pension plan. At Sodexo-run Google cafeterias, workers make $15 an hour and pay premiums in the hundreds of dollars.
A tight labor market combined with soaring inflation and pandemic-related safety concerns among front-line workers triggered a surge in unionization. Tens of thousands more workers voted to join unions in the first half of this year than in the first six months of 2021.
Amazon.com Inc AMZN has seen a growing number of warehouse workers opting for unionization in quest of higher pay and safety improvements.
Price Action: GOOG shares traded higher by 0.48% at $109.20 in the premarket on the last check Tuesday.
Photo via Pixabay

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