Google’s YouTube Music Workers Are on Strike
A week after YouTube Music workers filed for a union election, Google issued a return-to-office order for the remote workforce. Employees, who say the order is an illegal attempt to interfere with the election, are now on strike. We spoke with some of them.
YouTube Music workers on strike, February 13, 2023. (Alphabet Workers Union (AWU-CWA) / Twitter)
On Friday, February 3, forty YouTube Music workers went on strike against Google and its subcontractor Cognizant over unfair labor practices (ULPs). Just a week after YouTube Music employees filed for an election to affiliate with the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU), management issued a return-to-office mandate for the workers who had up until then been working remotely. Workers say the order infringes upon their right to organize freely and have a fair election. The strike is still ongoing.
YouTube Music is the fastest-growing music streaming platform with over eighty million subscribers, despite having a relatively small workforce. Three YouTube Music employees sat down with Jacobin contributor Peter Lucas to discuss their work, the unfair labor practices they’re facing, and their experience organizing a union.
Peter Lucas
Can you give us a brief overview of the strike?
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