man. absolutely brutal article full of interviews from people who've been seriously burned by the games layoffs. Really horrifying the number of people forced to move for jobs that have since evaporated.
This is a pretty cool achievement for them. The public sector and government work as a whole has always been pretty well unionized (by US standards anyways), but even that space has taken a bit of a downturn in recent years according to the BLS. Attrition is also a huge and constant issue for unions like this, as many members turn over each year.
In this respect AFGE is pretty impressive: they've posted strong growth and retention in membership in the past two decades. They counted 232,000 members in 2008, 288,000 in 2014, and 294,000 during the middle of 2015. The Trump years and pandemic were apparently pretty bad for them and in 2022 they counted "only" 282,436 members to end the year—but it seems throughout 2023 their growth has once again skyrocketed to reach the 300,000 members they're claiming this month.
Note that their actual membership is also only about half of the total number of employees they represent the bargaining rights of—they last claimed to bargain for approximately 750,000 members across 900 local unions, although I don't have a date for that number.
Once more for the day-time crowd.
Thank you to everyone who has donated and shared this around. Means alot 🧡
(h/t @DonutRush)
Last year, Youtube Music workers unanimously voted to unionize; beat Google's effort to avoid being recognized as a joint employer, and went on strike to protest Google's refusal to bargain with them. Yesterday, it appears they were laid off as their home city—Austin—was set to urge the company to do so.
The moment was actually caught on camera as several Youtube Music workers spoke in favor of the resolution during the Austin City Council's debate of it.
At least one worker alleges that "as [Youtube Music employees] were leaving the premises- members of HR physically assaulted our coworkers to remove them from the premises as they packed their personal items, leaving bruises and scratch marks."
What will happen next is not clear. Alphabet Workers Union had this to say on the matter:
Today Google informed workers on the YouTube Music team that they would be laid off, hours before a scheduled vote by the Austin City Council on a resolution calling on Google to bargain with these same workers in good faith.
These workers unanimously won their union election in April 2023. In response Google has publicly stated it would not engage in bargaining with them. The NLRB has ruled that Google’s continued refusal to bargain with these workers is unlawful.
The YouTube Music team is based out of Austin. Even as workers contribute to the success of the billion dollar platform, they are paid as little as $19 dollars an hour and receive minimal benefits. Many workers are forced to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.
