[US] Union alleges Google failed to give required notice of Mountain View layoffs

In the US, a union representing Google employees has filed a complaint with the State of California alleging that Google failed to provide adequate notice of mass layoffs at its Mountain View location in April, Mountain View Voice reports.

The Alphabet Workers Union claims that Google announced the layoff of hundreds of its mobile device team employees on April 11. At the time, these layoffs were reported by media outlets. 

However, according to the union, neither Google nor its parent company Alphabet filed a Cal-WARN Notice with the Employment Development Department.

The Cal-WARN Act requires employers to provide a 60-day notice to workers and state and local government officials before a mass layoff, allowing adequate time to prepare for the economic impact.

Google reportedly contests the allegations, stating that the team changes announced in April did not rise to a level at which filing a WARN notice would be necessary.

On June 25, a Google spokesperson told the Voice, “We’re in full compliance with all applicable WARN laws, and as we always do, we provided employees whose roles were impacted with the required notice period. Any suggestion otherwise is simply untrue and not based on the facts.” 

The Alphabet Workers Union reportedly alleges that the layoffs impacted more than 150 employees in Mountain View, according to a complaint submitted to the California Department of Industrial Relations on June 17.

According to the complaint, Google informed workers in April that their positions were being eliminated and they had 60 days to find a new role at the company or they would be terminated. At least 99 workers lost their jobs as of June 15, the filing said.

In addition, the union claims that the tech giant should have informed Mountain View about the layoffs. Google had a legal obligation to tell the city, Gavin Achtemeier - a Google software engineer and union organiser who spoke at a City Council meeting on June 24 - said.

“The WARN Act was specifically written for cities like Mountain View, cities with single employers that employ a large portion or otherwise provide large portions of revenue to the city and to people who work there,” Mr Achtemeier said.

Source: Mountain View Voice

(Link and quotes via original reporting)

In the US, a union representing Google employees has filed a complaint with the State of California alleging that Google failed to provide adequate notice of mass layoffs at its Mountain View location in April, Mountain View Voice reports.

The Alphabet Workers Union claims that Google announced the layoff of hundreds of its mobile device team employees on April 11. At the time, these layoffs were reported by media outlets. 

However, according to the union, neither Google nor its parent company Alphabet filed a Cal-WARN Notice with the Employment Development Department.

The Cal-WARN Act requires employers to provide a 60-day notice to workers and state and local government officials before a mass layoff, allowing adequate time to prepare for the economic impact.

Google reportedly contests the allegations, stating that the team changes announced in April did not rise to a level at which filing a WARN notice would be necessary.

On June 25, a Google spokesperson told the Voice, “We’re in full compliance with all applicable WARN laws, and as we always do, we provided employees whose roles were impacted with the required notice period. Any suggestion otherwise is simply untrue and not based on the facts.” 

The Alphabet Workers Union reportedly alleges that the layoffs impacted more than 150 employees in Mountain View, according to a complaint submitted to the California Department of Industrial Relations on June 17.

According to the complaint, Google informed workers in April that their positions were being eliminated and they had 60 days to find a new role at the company or they would be terminated. At least 99 workers lost their jobs as of June 15, the filing said.

In addition, the union claims that the tech giant should have informed Mountain View about the layoffs. Google had a legal obligation to tell the city, Gavin Achtemeier - a Google software engineer and union organiser who spoke at a City Council meeting on June 24 - said.

“The WARN Act was specifically written for cities like Mountain View, cities with single employers that employ a large portion or otherwise provide large portions of revenue to the city and to people who work there,” Mr Achtemeier said.

Source: Mountain View Voice

(Link and quotes via original reporting)