YouTube Music STRIKE Press Conference | YouTube Music STRIKE Press ConferenceWorkers at YouTube Music Content Operations are ON STRIKE! AWUâCWA members and their coworkers are on ULP strike... | By AlphabetWorkers | Facebook | Have got to go. Five, six, 7, eight. We want to negotiate. We won't take it anymore negotiate We will take it Four. Five. Six. 7 we want to negotiate. One, two, three, four. We won't take it anymore Five, six, 7, eight. We want to negotiate. And let's scrunch up so that we got a good, We're on the camera. Very good. Stay off with the gray, please. Stay on the sidewalk. Okay. Alright, where's Sam Reagan? Hi. Yeah. Alright, good morning and thank you everyone for joining us today. Like to give an enormous shout out to all my fellow workers. Whoo hoo. Whoo. Um yeah and our all members of AWUCWA and our allies at the Texas AFL CIO for showing up today. Whoo. Whoo My name is Sam Regan. I'm a music generalist at YouTube Music Branson Operations. I've been working there for about a year and a half and I'm incredibly proud to be here expressing ourselves during this incredibly historic moment in the history of the labor movement. Whoo. Whoo. Right now, the vast majority of our department is ready to vote yes in an NLRB election In an active retaliation against our organizing efforts, our employers forcing an ends to remote work before the vote, which would dramatically interfere with the fair voting conditions mandated by federal law. Many of us live out of state, many more live outside Austin, and as contract contract workers under Google's two-tiered system, all of us are so underpaid that we cannot afford the gas, childcare, and skyrocketing local rent that would be required for us to work at the physical location. We have blossomed into a rich and wonderful, remote culture and by all metrics have done outstanding work from home for nearly three years. Our new CEO, Ravi Kumar, has publicly emphasized the effectiveness of remote work and we are a strong and clear testament to this view. We are here today on strike, calling on Alphabet and Cognizant to pause on RTO until we are able to negotiate terms as a certified bargaining unit. Whoo. Whoo. Hear that. Now, I'd like to welcome my friend and teammate, Neil Gossell, who's going to say some more right now. Whoo. Pardon my voice. Oh. Uh my name is Neil Gossell. I've been working with YouTube music for almost a year now. Uh I was hired remotely and we're all here today to support each other as well as the people who can't be here because they don't even live near the city. We're being forced to return to office. Those people are effectively losing their voice. So we have to be their voice for them. Um we all have personal stories. Each one of them matters. Um I joined the union and I joined the strike to support everybody Including, you know, my wife at home who suffers from PTSD. I have, I have to work for a remote job. Um that's my story. Everybody's story is important. Um, that's all I really have to say. Thank you. Uh, next up is I'd like to introduce Rudy. Is that? Is Rudy next? Three steps. Uh I think that's it. Okay. Stacy, yeah. Stacy's next. Whoo. Thank you so much, Neil. Good morning, everybody. My name is Stacey Agnew. It is so cool to see everybody out here today supporting our union. Whoo hoo. Oh, I live in Austin, Texas. I've been a music generalist at YouTube Music for about 6 months. I'm a little new but I'm here to support our union anyway because it's extremely important. I'm a proud member of the Alphabet Workers Union. I'm proud to be joining my fellow YouTube music workers in our historic strike. I personally joined the strike because both my coworkers and myself have been treated unfairly by Google and Cognizant by setting up an RTO, a return to office in retaliation to our union. I wouldn't only be able to save a third of my own income as well as my students that I teach. I'd have to lose all of my students if we had to return to office. Um and I know that there are so many financial and personal hardships that everyone of my coworkers will lose. And it's extremely unfair. And that's why I'm striking. That's why we're striking. I am proud to stand with my fellow coworkers and our YouTube music strike. And now I would like to invite Rudy Lynn Bustamante. Whoo. Hi, everybody. My name is Rudy Lynn Bustamante. I am a music journalist with YouTube Music and I am currently on a ULP strike with my coworkers. Whoo. Only been working for YouTube Music and Cognizant for 8 months. Before this, I was in middle school and high school Mariachi teacher for 5 years. After the COVID pandemic, a lot of things were happening in the school system that I didn't feel comfortable with including the handling of the pandemic, my health and safety, the health and safety of my students, along with issues of corruption within the administration. The school shooting in Ualde was the last, was a straw that broke the camel's back for me. I just wasn't feeling safe or motivated to return in the fall. There had been many close call and the schools where I worked at. So, I decided to transition from teacher to tech. When I got this job, I was really excited because it was for a big name like YouTube and Google. I was also excited that I could do something with my music degree that didn't involve teaching which I didn't know was possible. I was also happy to be working remotely due to the safety and flexibility and the opportunity to be able to take care of my own health and family. I currently live in San Marcos which is South of Austin. My commute to the would be an hour and a half each way depending on traffic. That's three hours of commute time each and every day. I would not even be able to afford the gas, let alone the commute time. Returning to the office would also take a huge toll on my family. I recently took the responsibility of caring for my mother. She's being tested for Alzheimer's and dementia and she needs twenty-four hours supervision. I am also carrying my first child and I can't imagine spending 11 hours away from my newborn. If we are forced go back into the office. Right. I decided to go on strike because it's important to show solidarity and provide support to my fellow coworkers. And to join them in saying that we deserve better. The work we put in is really important and we need to be valued as such. Thank you. Next up is Katelyn. Thanks, Judy. My name is Katie Marie Marshner. I live in Austin, Texas and I've been an SME subject matter expert at YouTube Music for 2 years. I'm also proud to be a member of the Alphabet Workers Union CWA. Whoo. Whoo. That's right. I'm excited and proud to be joining my fellow YouTube music workers in our historic ULP strike. Whoo. I am a subject matter expert for the charts team at YouTube Music. We ensure the quality of the data on YouTube's global top 100 charts. I joined the strike because Cognizant and Google violated our legal rights by breaking the status quo when they announced the RTO date. Throughout our time, organizing HR and management have used lies and dirty tactics to break up our unit and diminish our vote. This strike is our best shot at keeping our friends who live out of town and stay employed. That's right Winning our strike demands would allow me the flexibility to continue working my second job. Without the second job, I would not be able to afford my rent. As the as the rent application for my current house was only accepted because of the additional income I make at my second job. I'm proud to stand with my fellow workers in in the YouTube Music Strike. Now, I'd like to welcome Sam again who's going to close us out. Whoo. Just a moment please. Look at your **** nose. Um I believe Rick Levy, president of the Texas AFL CIO is going to hop on and speak a little bit more. Thank you, Sam. Thank you, Sam and thanks to each and everyone of you for standing up for not just yourselves but for all of us. Whoo. My name is, my name is Rick Levy. I'm the president of the Texas AFL CIO. The Texas AFL CIO is an organization of over 240, 000 Texans that we are teachers, we are firefighters, we are construction workers, we are truck drivers, we are manufacturing workers, we do all the work in this state. And I'm here to let you all know that as you stand for yourselves. We are standing with you every step of the way. Whoo I want to honor the courage of y'all who shared your stories about why you're here. It's so powerful to just like when you when you think of the individual situations and then all of you who are dealing with this and the courage that it takes to come forward, I just honor that and thank you for sharing your story so fully with us. Whoo. Whoo. And thank you also. For showing us that it's possible for the world to be a different place. You are sitting and doing your work and with the stroke of a pen, some billionaire decides that all of your lives are going to be turned upside down and you don't have a voice. Yeah. Whoo. That's right and I will say that you are not alone in that. There are so many people who experience that every day. Who don't have a voice at work. And so when you stand up and you say we are going to have a voice in our own affairs. We are going to be treated fairly. We are going to be treated with dignity and respect. You do that for every person. Who who works in the same situation that you do. Yeah. And that's why that is why we will stand with you to the end. One day longer, one day stronger, we will win, you will win, and we all win when you all win your union. So, thank you for standing, standing up Thank you so much. Once again, thank you to everyone for being here. Even the guy over there. Um yeah, this is really incredible showing of power and friendship. Um I think to close this out, we've got Liana is going to lead a chant and then potentially one more speaker. So, thanks again. Thank you to the live streaming crew over there. Whoo. And to all the people in the internet that are watching as well. What's up? Thank you for joining us all today. For real. Okay. Hey, Google. Richard Rude. We don't like your attitude. Hey, Contrast. You're no good. Google Richard Rude. Congressman, you're no good. Treat your workers like Hey, Google. Rich and Rude. We don't like your Hey, Candice and you're no good. Teacher workers What I say union, you say power, union. Power. Union. Power. When I say union, you say power. Union. Power. Union. Power. When I say union, you say power. What a union, you say power, union. Power Thank How's everyone doing today? You know, first and foremost, you know, my heart goes out to so many folks in the city who are sold without power and water. Uh you know, I just want to say as a as a as a council member, you know, that covers this district. Uh that we're going to continue to to do the work to make sure that folks are taking care of and and to the folks that are out here today, thank you for what you're doing. Uh it's so very important that companies that are behind us remember that it's people that that make them what they are and to do right people is the most important thing. Uh the right to unionize is something that every individual should have. Uh you know, when I was a candidate, we were a campaign that had unionized. Uh now, in office, our our staff is fully unionized with Asthme. Uh You know, we we understand the power of of the labor movement. We understand that the the importance of unionizing. Uh so, thank you all for for doing what you guys are doing. Thank you for for being the voice of so many folks who who don't have voices in this city, in this community and I think we should strive as a as a city to make sure that Austin is a welcoming city is a city that works for its workers and is is lives up to its values of of being a union city. Uh so, thank you for everything that y'all are doing. Uh you know, I stand here with myself and my staff in solidarity to the work that y'all are doing and keep it up. Whoo. These Europeans and I've got to go. Hey, hey. Ho ho. Have got to go. Hey, hey. Ho ho. These ULP s have got to go. One, two, three, four. We will take it anymore. Five, six, 7, eight. We want to negotiate. One, two, three, four. We will take it anymore. Five, six, 7, eight. We want to negotiate. What does a union, you say power, union, power, un When I say union, you say power, union. Power. Union. Power. When I say union, you say power. Union. Power. Union. Power. When I say union, you say power. You are. Union. Power. Union. You day. Here Once appalling? What's installing? What's the situation? Retaliation. What's the T? U L B. What's disgusting? Junior busting. What's a polling what's the situation? Retaliation. What's the T? ULP. What's disgusting? Union busting. What's appalling? What's the situation? Retaliation. What's the appalling. Ali. What's the situation? Retaliation. Excited to be here today. I'm so inspired by everyone striking. This is amazing. The layoffs showed that at the end of the day, we are all just entries in a spreadsheet to Google. They fired people of all 10 years, of all levels, like people on maternity leave, a like both parents run, maternity, slash maternity leave. It's just not kind. It's not the Google that I thought I joined. It's not the Google that I believe in. This is the Google that I believe in. This is what it means This is what it means to be googly. Is to stand up for your fellow workers. So, thank you all. Alright. Thank you. That's all I have to say One more chant. One more chant. Uh. YouTube music is on strike. Comedy YouTube music is on strike. Cog and Google, don't act right. YouTube music is on strike. Cog and Google, don't act right. YouTube music is on strike. Frog and Google, don't act right. YouTube music is on strike. Cog and Google, don't act right. Whoo | Zootzle
