Google has committed to not retaliate against workers — both direct employees and contracted staff — who take time off from work to protest the Trump administration's policies on May 1, BuzzFeed News has learned. Google has said the policy of non-retaliation applies whether or not workers ask for time off in advance of the day.
For months now, workers across the country have been planning a May 1 General Strike across industries, with a focus on immigrant, low-wage, and subcontracted workers, in protest of Trump's administration's policies and in support of labor rights. SEIU-USWW, a powerful California-based local of the Service Employees International Union, has led the call, along with the Brandworkers food chain workers alliance.
In the past few weeks, Facebook and other tech firms have committed to not retaliating against their employees who choose to demonstrate on that date, traditionally observed as International Workers Day. Labor advocates have pushed them to extend their policies towards their sub-contracted workforces as well, who are not directly employed by the tech giants.
Facebook has said it would "re-evaluate its ties to any vendor if it breaks the law that protects workers' rights to organize and protect themselves," Bloomberg reported. And Google said if it becomes aware of any illegal actions by vendors, it will investigate and take any necessary follow up. However, neither company provided more specifics on how they would protect contracted workers if the vendors who do employ them choose to retaliate.