2018 Google walkouts
The Google Walkouts occurred on November 1, 2018 at approximately 11 am.[1] The walkout had huge numbers of participants.[1][2][3] The employees demanded 5 concrete changes from the company: an end to forced arbitration, a commitment to end pay inequality, a transparent sexual harassment report, an inclusive process for reporting sexual misconduct, and elevate the Chief of Diversity to answer directly to the CEO and create an Employee Representative.[4] A majority of the known organizers have left the company since the walkout and many continue to voice their concerns.[2] Google agreed to end forced arbitration and create a private report of sexual assault, but has not provided any further details about the other demands.[1][3]
Background
This walkout was initially intended to be "day without women" and later evolved when a larger number of attendees accumulated.[2] There were seven main organizers that asked for an end to sexual harassment, discrimination, and systematic racism.[5] An organizer, Tanuja Gupta, worked in a group called "Googlers for Ending Force of Arbitration" which aided in the growth of momentum towards the sexual assault issue.[2]
The walkout
On November 1, 2018, more than 20,000 Google employees engaged in a worldwide[7][8] walkout to protest the way in which the company handled cases of sexual harassment, and other grievances.[9][10][11][12][13] The protest came one week after a New York Times report that named Andy Rubin and other executives who had been accused of sexual misconduct, and was paid a $90 million severance package.[2][8] The core organizers were Claire Stapleton, Tanuja Gupta, Meredith Whittaker, Celie O'Neil-Hart, Stephanie Parker, Erica Anderson, and Amr Gaber.[14] The walkout was organized in less than three days[15] and lasted for a half hour.[16]
Striking workers used a flyer that read:
Hi. I’m not at my desk because I’m walking out in solidarity with other Googlers and contractors to protest sexual harassment, misconduct, lack of transparency, and a workplace culture that’s not working for everyone. I’ll be back at my desk later. I walked out for real change.[17]
The main demand was the act of transparency from a company, the presence of an employee representative, and the public fillings of each sexual assault case. here were many signs that were held up during the course of the protest. One said "What do I do at Google? I work hard every day so the company can afford $90,000,000 payouts to execs who sexually harass my co-workers", another said "Don't be evil".[1]
Ongoing activism at Google
In December 2018, contract workers for Google wrote an open letter with demands addressing disparities between employees and contractors.[18][19]
Retaliation and union busting
The Tech Workers Coalition provided a retaliation hotline during the Google Walkouts for employees who faced retribution for their participation.[20]
Two of the Google Walkouts organizers, Claire Stapleton and Meredith Whittaker, claimed that Google retaliated against them following the Google Walkouts by attempting to force them out or demote them.[21] They organized a sit-in on May 1, 2019, International Worker's Day.[22] By July 2019, four of the seven organizers, including Stapleton and Whittaker, had left the company.[23]
In late 2019, the National Labor Relations Board opened an investigation in to the firing of four Google employees over their efforts to unionize[24][25].
In late 2019, the New York Times reported that Google had hired IRI Consulting, a company that provides anti-unionization services.[26][27]
Impact and outcome
Some of the demands made were met or partly met. Many of Google's responses included the reiteration of commitment to past diversity objectives and the improvement of the process to report harassment. The two resolutions that came closest to the employees' demands were the publishing of sexual assault cases, although the company opted for a private, internal report rather than a public one, and increased transparency of sexual assault.[3] In February of 2019 Google announced the end of forced arbitration for employees for all claims.[2]
References
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ a b c d Wakabayashi, Daisuke; Griffith, Erin; Tsang, Amie; Conger, Kate (2018-11-01). "Google Walkout: Employees Stage Protest Over Handling of Sexual Harassment". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
- ^ a b c d e f Fowler, Story by Sara Ashley O'Brien, CNN Business Video by Richa Naik and Natalia V. Osipova, CNN Business Photo illustrations by Ken. "One year after the Google walkout, key organizers reflect on the risk to their careers". CNN. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
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has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c "The Google walkout: What protesters demanded and what they got". Los Angeles Times. 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
- ^ Weaver, Matthew; York, Alex Hern Victoria Bekiempis in New; View, Lauren Hepler in Mountain; Francisco, Jose Fermoso in San (2018-11-01). "Google walkout: global protests after sexual misconduct allegations". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
- ^ Hicks, Mar (2018-11-09). "The long history behind the Google Walkout". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
- ^ Quinn, Michelle. "Google Workers Walk Out". VOA. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- ^ News, VOA. "Google Workers Launch Worldwide Protests". VOA. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
{{cite news}}
:|last=
has generic name (help) - ^ a b "PHOTOS: Google employees all over the world left their desk and walked out in protest over sexual misconduct". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
- ^ D'Onfro, Jillian (2018-11-03). "Google walkouts showed what the new tech resistance looks like, with cues from union organizing". CNBC. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- ^ "Google Walkout: Employees Stage Protest Over Handling of Sexual Harassment". Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- ^ Lorenz, Taylor (2018-11-01). "The Google Walkout Doesn't Go Far Enough". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- ^ "Google Employees Walk Out To Protest Company's Treatment Of Women". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- ^ "Google walkout: Employees protest over sexual harassment scandals". Retrieved 2018-11-05.
- ^ Gaber, Claire Stapleton, Tanuja Gupta, Meredith Whittaker, Celie O'Neil-Hart, Stephanie Parker, Erica Anderson, Amr (2018-11-01). "We're the Organizers of the Google Walkout. Here Are Our Demands". The Cut. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Ghaffary, Shirin (2018-11-21). "After 20,000 workers walked out, Google said it got the message. The workers disagree". Vox. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
- ^ "Google Employees Hold Worldwide Walkout Over Sexual Harassment". Time. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
- ^ Florentine, Sharon (2019-05-03). "Google workers hold sit-in to protest retaliation". CIO. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
- ^ Kircher, Madison Malone. "Google's Contract Workers Are Fed Up". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
- ^ "Google Contract Workers Write Open Letter: What They Want". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
- ^ "Google walkouts showed what the new tech resistance looks like, with cues from union organizing". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
- ^ Tom Knowles (4 July 2019). "Google boss used £71m payoff to fund sex ring, says ex-wife". The Times: 5.
- ^ Florentine, Sharon (2019-05-03). "Google workers hold sit-in to protest retaliation". CIO. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
- ^ Tiku, Nitasha (2019-07-16). "Most of the Google Walkout Organizers Have Left the Company". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2019-08-11.
- ^ Durkee, Alison. "Google's Alleged Union Busting Is Now Under Federal Investigation". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
- ^ "Security engineer says Google fired her for trying to notify co-workers of right to organize". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
- ^ "Google's Secret Relationship With Union-Busting Firm Outed by Calendar Entries: Report". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2020-01-06.
- ^ Scheiber, Noam; Wakabayashi, Daisuke (2019-11-20). "Google Hires Firm Known for Anti-Union Efforts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-01-06.