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Google Accused of Unlawfully Spying on Employees Seeking to Organize & Then Terminating Them

 

Earlier this week, Google was hit with a complaint filed with the National Labor Relations Board (the “NLRB”) that alleged the company unlawfully spied on employees that were organizing employee protests and then unlawfully terminated two of those employees as a result of their organization efforts.

The complaint alleged that one employee, Laurence Berland, was working to organize against Google’s work with IRI Consultants, a business that had previously engaged in anti-union efforts.  Berland was apparently terminated from Google when he was found to have been reviewing other employees’ calendars.  (The NLRB has held that Google’s policy prohibiting employees looking at a coworker’s calendar is unlawful.)  Another employee, Kathryn Spiers, was terminated after she created a pop up for Google employees that visited IRI’s website.  The pop up said “Googlers have the right to participate in protected concerted activities.”

At this point, Google has until mid month to file an answer to the complaint.  A hearing is currently set for next April.  Stay tuned.


For additional information:  https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/02/google-spied-on-employees-illegally-terminated-them-nlrb-alleges.html

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