Google workers form new labor union, a tech industry rarity

Excellent news! Workers in tech industries, workers in all industries for that matter need to become better organized.

Good for them, we need to protect the rights of the workers, particularly during these times, where companies will take advantage of the situation.

the first dues-paying members of the Alphabet Workers Union

members say they want more of a voice not just on wages, benefits and protections against discrimination and harassment but also broader ethical questions about how Google pursues its business ventures.

It sounds a bit vague to me, and one needs to pay dues to be a member of the AWU?

the leaders of these companies did a good job of convincing workers they were these benevolent folks who were going to provide for them, kind of a paternalistic model,” said Beth Allen, communications director at the CWA. “That got them a long way,” Allen said, but workers have increasingly realized they need “to come together and build power for themselves and have a voice in what's going on.”

Paternalistic, was it?

Better then to pay dues to a union to get free, because that is how one avoids paternalism?

prominent AI ethics researcher Timnit Gebru says she was fired over a research paper that Google wanted to disassociate from

I read a bit from both sides about this. It all struck me as a bit she-said/he-said...

Good luck to the dues paying members of the AWU. I hope they feel they get their money's worth! (Where is the money going?? It's not my money, so I'm just curious :))