Google AI workers demand union recognition over use of technology by Israeli and US military
Employees seek union recognition as they oppose classified military work and a $1.2 billion cloud contract with Israel, organizers said.
HARDLY a surprise to anyone, but the Oligarchy is staunchly ANTI-UNION, and the President has FIRED several top NLRB (National Labor Relations Board) appointees BECAUSE they endorsed the unions!
On Tuesday, Google DeepMind employees in London requested management recognize the Communication Workers Union and Unite the Union to address concerns regarding defense contracts and potential AI misuse.
Employees oppose Google’s controversial military partnerships, including a top-secret Pentagon AI agreement and a $1.2 billion cloud services contract with the Israeli government signed in 2021 to supply Israel.
The Department of Defense confirmed Friday that Google secured agreements for classified AI operations, with spokeswoman Jenn Crider stating the company is “proud to be part of a broad consortium” supporting national security.
Alphabet president of global affairs Kent Walker defended the company’s defense work, while the unionization letter gives management 10 working days to voluntarily recognize the unions before organizers launch legal proceedings.
If successful, DeepMind would become the first frontier AI lab to unionize, potentially sparking similar actions across the industry as staff consider “research strikes” abstaining from core AI product development.
DeepMind UK: The First Frontier AI Lab Union (May 2026)
In early May 2026, employees at Google DeepMind’s London headquarters launched a formal bid to unionize with the Communication Workers Union (CWU) and Unite the Union. If successful, it would be the world’s first union at a frontier AI lab, representing at least 1,000 staff.
The organizing was triggered by Google’s decision in February 2025 to remove its pledge not to use AI for weapons or surveillance from its ethics guidelines, followed by Pentagon deals allowing the U.S. military to use Google AI for “any lawful government purpose.”
DeepMind workers are demanding:
A commitment not to develop AI weapons or surveillance tools
An end to the $1.2 billion Project Nimbus contract supplying cloud services to the Israeli military
The right to refuse projects on moral or ethical grounds
Negotiations over AI use that “materially affect our roles, workloads, or job security”
Staff are also considering “research strikes”—withholding work on improvements to Google’s core AI products like Gemini—to pressure management. Google has 10 working days to voluntarily recognize the union before organizers launch formal legal proceedings.
U.S. AI Contractors: The Hidden Workforce Organizing
The majority of Google’s AI labor force is not full-time employees but contractors employed through vendors like GlobalLogic (a Hitachi subsidiary), Accenture, and Appen. These workers—often called “raters” or “super raters”—perform the essential human labor of grading, labeling, and training AI outputs, sometimes for as little as $10–14 per hour.
The Alphabet Workers Union-CWA has been organizing these workers since 2023. Key developments include:
Ricardo Levario, a lead organizer among GlobalLogic’s ~1,800 AI raters, was fired in February 2025 after circulating a union survey about pay and working conditions. The AWU filed an NLRB complaint alleging GlobalLogic illegally restricted wage discussions and retaliated against him.
Mass layoffs: In early 2025, hundreds of AI contractors were laid off without warning. In September 2025, over 200 GlobalLogic raters working on Google AI products were fired amid the organizing fight.
Google’s legal position: Google maintains these are Hitachi/GlobalLogic employees, not Alphabet workers. However, during the Biden administration, the NLRB ruled in other cases that Google was a joint employer of contractors, a finding Alphabet is contesting in court. The Trump administration has since fired two top NLRB appointees, making legal recourse more difficult.
Full-Time U.S. Employees: Protests Over Military Contracts
In parallel to unionization, full-time Google employees have engaged in direct action:
600+ employees signed a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai in April 2026 demanding the company refuse classified Pentagon AI contracts.
In 2024, Google fired more than 50 employees following sit-in protests over the Project Nimbus contract with Israel.
Alphabet’s president Kent Walker defended the Pentagon deals, stating Google “proudly” works with defense departments and believes AI should not be used for “domestic mass surveillance or autonomous weapons without appropriate human oversight.”
Bottom Line
Google AI employee unionization is now a transatlantic, multi-tiered movement. In the UK, DeepMind researchers are seeking formal collective bargaining power over the ethical use of frontier AI. In the U.S., the AWU-CWA is fighting for subcontracted AI trainers who do the invisible labor behind products like Gemini, while full-time employees use petitions and protests to resist militarization of their work. The common thread is a demand for worker voice in decisions about what AI is built for and who it serves.
Love it! Everything has a Price. Just like the grifter with the Orange face and his cronies.
Slave laborers