Google Set to Scrap Minimum Wage Stock Drop 1%

Alphabet Inc.'s Google ( GOOG ) has announced its decision to reverse the policy requiring its US-based suppliers and staffing firms to provide their employees with at least $15 per hour as well as health insurance and other benefits. The move allows the tech giant to avoid bargaining with unions and comply with evolving US and global labor regulations concerning contingent workers. This change, along with measures such as restricting access to internal systems for temporary workers and vendors, aims to clarify that Google is not and never has been the employer of the employees of its suppliers.

According to a Google spokesperson, these updates bring Google in line with other significant companies. This announcement follows a recent ruling by the US National Labor Relations Board that recognized Google as a 'joint employer' of workers supplied by Cognizant Technology Solutions, requiring the tech giant to negotiate with their union. Google is currently appealing the decision. The 2019 policy was used by the board as evidence that Google exercised control over workers, despite not employing them directly.

The labor board has made it more challenging for companies to avoid bargaining with temporary and contract workers. In 2020, it adopted a rule that considers companies to be the employers of contract workers if they have indirect control over working conditions. A federal judge blocked the rule from taking effect in March.

The spokesperson stated that Google ( GOOG ) would continue enforcing its supplier code of conduct, which requires staffing firms and vendors to provide safe working conditions and fulfill current legal obligations. The majority of the company's suppliers operate in states that mandate a minimum wage of at least $15.