August 26, 2015
By Steve Wishnia and Neal Tepel
About 150 Google Express workers in Palo Alto, California have voted to join Teamsters Local 853, the union announced Aug. 21. But the announcement came the day after the online shopping-delivery service said it plans to close the delivery hub where they work, as well as one in San Francisco.
Google did not comment on whether that decision was related to the union vote. Adecco, the staffing agency that technically employs the workers and campaigned hard against the union, said in a statement that while it believed “our associates are better off directly dealing with us as their employer rather than involving a union,” it was “supportive of any direction freely chosen by our associates.” Workers’ complaints included wages too low for them to afford housing in the Bay Area and supervisors who follow them into the bathrooms to make sure they’re not spending too much time. Read more
