On January $4,2021,$ workers at Google's parent company, Alphabet, announced the creation of the Alphabet Workers Union $($AWU$).$ The AWU, supported by the Communication Workers of America labor union, was originally formed by $226$ workers across several Google offices in the United States and Canada and now has over $700$ employees from all levels and sectors of Google. Unlike most labor unions, which are largely focused on collective bargaining to ensure better wages and benefits for full$-$time employees, the AWU is a "minority union" made up of anyone from tech engineers to cafeteria workers, and including independent contractors, temps, vendors, and overseas workers, that seeks to influence the company's culture and reshape its approach to political and social issues.

Currently the group cannot collectively bargain with Alphabet $($nor will it seek recognition or collective bargaining rights through the National Labor Relations Board$),$ which limits its influence and protections under federal labor law, but as an organized group, it is protected from retaliation by Alphabet.

Just three days after its formation was announced, the AWU made its first big move by criticizing Google for failing to enforce its own policies when the company did not suspend Donald Trump's YouTube account following the January $6$ insurrection at the Capitol. The union said the platform was being used to "spread hatred and extremism" even as other tech giants such as Twitter and Amazon were cracking down $($thanks largely to pressure from their own employees$).$ Google soon suspended Trump's account and removed the Parler app from the Google Play store.

Silicon Valley has largely been a union$-$busting industry and organizers of the AWU kept the movement a secret from Google until their announcement. While this is the first union at a major tech company by and for all tech workers, this union follows the creation of unions at Kickstarter and Glitch, as well as a tech company cafeteria workers union, all formed last year.

The union came after increasing activism among Google employees and years of clashing with management over such issues as the handling of sexual harassment complaints $($leading to a massive worker walkout$),$ taking ad money from hate groups, contracting with the U$.$S$.$ Defense Department to use AI technology for drone strike targeting, its collaborations with repressive governments around the world, the firing of a black female researcher for being critical of Google's diversity efforts, and the poor treatment of contract workers, who make up more than half the workforce at Alphabet.

Wages are not typically an area of concern for full$-$time Google employees, who's average salary is upwards of USD $200,000$ a year, and the growth of tech jobs across the globe made it difficult for traditional labor unions to get Alphabet employees to organize. However, in addition to political and social issues within the content of Google's work, the AWU also hopes to address the egregious inequalities within the company, including the lack of diversity, unfair labor practices, and growing income and wealth inequality.

Ultimately, however, AWU members are not necessarily looking for increased wages or better benefits, but for more of a say in what their company works on$,$ who their work will benefit, and how the company will look in the future. In that way, they are the same.