OAKLAND, Calif., Dec 2 (Reuters) - The National Labor
Relations Board issued a complaint on Wednesday accusing
Alphabet Inc's Google of unlawfully monitoring and
questioning several workers who were then fired for protesting
against company policies and trying to organize a union.
The U.S. labor regulator found Google unlawfully placed
employees on administrative leave and terminated them for
accessing documents related to how the company polices internal
forums, according to the complaint. The agency also found
unlawful Google policies for accessing documents and meetings
rooms as well as its tactics for investigating employees because
all of the efforts were aimed at deterring workplace organizing,
the complaint said.
Google said it was confident it acted legally.
"Google has always worked to support a culture of internal
discussion, and we place immense trust in our employees," it
said. "Actions undertaken by the employees at issue were a
serious violation of our policies and an unacceptable breach of
a trusted responsibility."
Google said the workers breached information security rules.
Their firings capped two years of battling between Google
and its workforce, particularly in the United States. At issue
is how much input the rank and file has on which projects the
company takes on and how it handles sexual misconduct and other
workplace matters.
At least five people fired after leading efforts to rally
colleagues partnered with the Communications Workers of America
union to petition the NLRB to challenge Google.
One of the fired workers, Laurence Berland, described
Wednesday's complaint as significant "at a time when we're
seeing the power of a handful of tech billionaires consolidate
control over our lives and our society."
The NLRB did not include in its complaint several other
allegations sought by the workers, who said they would appeal.
Google has until Dec. 16 to formally respond to the NLRB.
The case, which could lead to reinstatement of fired workers and
changes in company policies, is scheduled to be tried in front
of an administrative law judge on April 12.
(Reporting by Paresh Dave in Oakland, California; Editing by
Tom Brown and Grant McCool)