Ex-Google staff claim terminations over Israeli contract protest were illegal

[midian182]

A hot potato: Several former Google employees who were fired from the company for protesting against its cloud contract with the Israeli government have filed a complaint with the US labor board. The workers claim Google's termination of their contracts was illegal.

Nine Google employees were arrested last month after occupying the company's offices in New York and California for an eight-hour sit-in. They were protesting against the $1.2 billion Project Nimbus contract with the Israeli government for Google and Amazon's cloud services.

Google initially put the nine workers on administrative leave, eventually firing 28 employees whom it claimed were connected to the protests, and threatened further action against the "extremely disruptive" protestors if necessary. Google said their conduct was completely unacceptable and made other workers feel unsafe.

A complaint filed to the National Labor Relations Board claims that Google "retaliated against approximately 50 employees" by terminating them or putting them on administrative leave.

The single-page complaint claims that Google was responding to their participation in a peaceful, non-disruptive protest, and that by firing them, the company interfered with their rights under US labor law to advocate for better working conditions.

The protesters claim Project Nimbus will allow the Israeli government to surveil and displace Palestinians while supporting the development of military applications. Google refutes these claims, insisting that Nimbus is not related to highly sensitive, classified, or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services.

It's not just Google employees who are angry about Project Nimbus. Around 1,700 Amazon employees signed a petition against the deal last year, according to the Washington Post.

One of the former employees fired by Google says he was dismissed just for watching the demonstration. He told The Verge that he went to the 10th floor of Google's New York City office around lunchtime to check out the protest.

"When I got there, there were probably 20-ish people sitting on the floor. I didn't talk to any of them, I talked to folks who were standing up, passing out flyers, doing other roles," he said. The anonymous worker returned to his desk and later revisited the protest around 5 pm, chatting with people for "maybe four minutes." Google terminated his contract the following day.

The protests bring to mind Google's Project Maven from 2018, in which the company worked with the US Department of Defense to develop drone footage-analyzing AI. It led to over 3,100 employees sending a strongly worded letter to CEO Sundar Pichai demanding Google leave the project, which it eventually did.

Masthead: Scott Beale

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Ex-Google staff claim terminations over Israeli contract protest were illegal

 

[brucek]

I don't know why this conversation needs to include any more details than if you enter someone else's office without permission, and refuse to leave when asked, of course you should be immediately dismissed; and probably in jail. All the rest is just extraneous fluff.

 

[yRaz]

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes...

 

[NumberNine]

If they were really commited they would have quit the company instead of sitting in the floor during work hours doing nothing. The workers have no case. They commited halfway to their language so Google helped them fully commit to their statements.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I would feel bad for the one who is supposedly not involved, except:

" I didn't talk to any of them, I talked to folks who were standing up, passing out flyers, doing other roles"

That's being involved dude. You didnt just go up to "watch" the protest, you actively participated. And since the whole market stood by as people got fired for political beliefs and actions from 2016 onward, the beast has now turned on you. Welcome to the modern sensitive workplace.

I don't know why this conversation needs to include any more details than if you enter someone else's office without permission, and refuse to leave when asked, of course you should be immediately dismissed; and probably in jail. All the rest is just extraneous fluff.

A lot of these people are the 1%. Their average wage IIRC is close to $300k per year. They've lived entire lives of privileged where if they threw a tantrum they got their way. Now that the free money is drying up, corporations are no longer allowing their virtue signaling get in the way of contracts like they used to. The Israel/Gaza thing has turned the entire PC mindset on its ear and set it against the very people who created it.

The fact google could fire them and apparently continue on as normal speaks volumes. Especially when tech layoffs are common, why would you want to attract attention to yourself, over something half a globe away that doesnt affect you? Only if one drinks the kool-aid does that make sense.

 

[Nelson28]

Totally agree about Project Nimbus being problematic. Google shouldn't be aiding potential surveillance. Glad the ex-employees are fighting back! Their right to protest is important.

 

[RudyBob]

Long Live Israel

 

[brucek]

Totally agree about Project Nimbus being problematic. Google shouldn't be aiding potential surveillance. Glad the ex-employees are fighting back! Their right to protest is important.

I'm not sure how "right to protest" translates into "right to refuse to do the job they are being paid for" and "right to trespass."

I'd feel different if they wrote a letter, or marched out front on the public sidewalk on a day off, or best yet said "no thanks I refuse to work on this project, fire me if you must." Any of those would make for a more principled stand.

 

[mbk34]

Google's former motto is "Don't be evil" so I'm fairly sure it shouldn't be doing business with countries that have built 270 illegal settlements on their neighbouring countries land, shot owners that objected, stole the water that fed their country and simply ignored UN demands to get out. Obviously that was all before the kidnapping.

Now they've killed 30,000 people 70% being women and children plus 200 foreign aid workers, they have destroyed 45% of all peoples homes, destroyed 5 of the 6 universities in the area, 87% of the schools, all the hospitals, 500 mosques including the Omari Mosque which was 1400 years old.

Maybe Google has a new motto now?

 

[BuckarooBonzaii]

When will people learn, if you value your job and see some sort of conflict at work just move along. If you must pass them just say "Hi" but keep on moving. As a contract worker you're being paid to do your job and nothing else.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Google's former motto is "Don't be evil" so I'm fairly sure it shouldn't be doing business with countries that have built 270 illegal settlements on their neighbouring countries land, shot owners that objected, stole the water that fed their country and simply ignored UN demands to get out. Obviously that was all before the kidnapping.

Now they've killed 30,000 people 70% being women and children plus 200 foreign aid workers, they have destroyed 45% of all peoples homes, destroyed 5 of the 6 universities in the area, 87% of the schools, all the hospitals, 500 mosques including the Omari Mosque which was 1400 years old.

Maybe Google has a new motto now?

- Israel should just hurry up and find some sort of final solution to the Palestinian problem so the rest of the world can go back to watching Sunday morning cartoons.

Also, irony would officially be dead.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

- Israel should just hurry up and find some sort of final solution to the Palestinian problem so the rest of the world can go back to watching Sunday morning cartoons.

Also, irony would officially be dead.

Pretty sure Irony has already died, been resurrected, died again, then beaten until that horse got up and self immolated, then beaten AGAIN.

Google's former motto is "Don't be evil" so I'm fairly sure it shouldn't be doing business with countries that have built 270 illegal settlements on their neighbouring countries land, shot owners that objected, stole the water that fed their country and simply ignored UN demands to get out. Obviously that was all before the kidnapping.

Now they've killed 30,000 people 70% being women and children plus 200 foreign aid workers, they have destroyed 45% of all peoples homes, destroyed 5 of the 6 universities in the area, 87% of the schools, all the hospitals, 500 mosques including the Omari Mosque which was 1400 years old.

Maybe Google has a new motto now?

>Tells UN to frick off
>Doesnt abide by whiny neighbors that refuse all sane solutions presented for the last 70 years
>triggers every college student in a 4000 mile radius
>Still gets billions donated to it and gets criticism of them banned by US house

WTF I love Israel now. Based as all hell.

 

[Kanoon]

If you work in a company that has a contract with a foreign gov't actively committing genocide, protesting it is definitely the moral thing. Sad that they got fired but kudos to them for taking a stand.

 

[mbk34]

>Tells UN to frick off

The UN was originally a military alliance against fascism. It just seems ironic that Israel is now doing the genocide.

>Doesnt abide by whiny neighbors that refuse all sane solutions presented for the last 70 years

Do you think it's because the solutions put forward legitimised the illegal settlements containing 700,000 Israelis on Palestinian land?

 

[mbk34]

>triggers every college student in a 4000 mile radius

I suspect it's world wide and not just students.

gets criticism of them banned by US house

It's strange, you more associate such bans with dictatorships and not a place where freedom of the press is valued.

 

[Destined]

Long live Palestine