A tweet by the Alphabet Workers Union reveals that Google Maps contractors were told they had to return to work on June 6, but they secured a 90-day extension three hours after informing management they were going on strike.
According to the AWU, the 200-plus contractors working for IT consulting firm Cognizant believe Google's current return to office demands are unsafe.
The petition was signed by almost 60% of the 200 workers. They urged that managers postpone the return-to-work deadline in order to address employees' financial, health, and child care concerns first.
Full-time Google employees with office positions have been instructed to report to work three days a week. In interviews, Cognizant employees demanded the same level of flexibility.
"Gas is around $5 per gallon currently, and many of us in the office are not able to afford to live close to the office due to our low salaries and the high cost of housing in Bothell," Cognizant employees wrote.
The policies draw attention to the differences between Google's direct workers and contractors. Google is thought to employ over 100,000 temporary, vendor, and contract workers who work on Google projects but are officially employed by other companies. Google does not reveal the figure.
In a statement, Cognizant said its return-to-work policy was determined by the type of work performed by workers and the demands of its clients.
"The health and safety of our employees remain our top priority, and we require our employees to be vaccinated to return to our offices in the United States," Jeff DeMarrais, Cognizant's chief communications officer, wrote in an email.
Google spokeswoman Courtenay Mencini said in a statement that the health of its community, including contract workers, was a business priority. Google offered its Washington State suppliers 90 days' notice for employees to return to work, and those suppliers choose how to carry out that policy, she added.
According to the contractors in Washington, the majority of them were paid between $16 and $28 per hour, significantly less than normal full-time Google employees. Managers were aware of their requests for petrol cards or other financial offsets, but these were denied. They said they were not offered Google's private bus services, a popular perk in Silicon Valley, to help with their commutes.
Google, which extended its office footprint throughout the coronavirus pandemic, enticed 164,000 employees back to campuses with goodies including free electric scooters and a concert by pop sensation Lizzo. Last year, 85% of employees who requested to work remotely or transfer to a new location were granted.
