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Federal regulators have ordered Google to assure employees that they have the right to speak out on workplace and political issues, according to sources close to the subject, as part of the settlement of official complaints that would punish the research giant.
The decision by the National Labor Relations Commission offers Google an escape from a thorny problem that has shaken the market in recent years. Although Google executives have long boasted of having a workplace culture designed to encourage open debate, alumni and former employees across the political spectrum have complained of retaliation for expresses concerns about equality and freedom of speech.
The NLRB settlement follows two complaints about Google's reaction to dissent in the workplace. The regulation directs Google to inform current employees that they are free to speak to the media, without having to ask Google for permission, on topics such as diversity and compensation in the middle of the business. Google views these topics as inappropriate for the workplace. .
The regulation was approved by an agency director this week, according to a document. It should take effect after a period of appeal.
The action of the NLRB is the second official reminder to Google in a week to stay in legality. Last week, Google's YouTube service opened an investigation into alleged violations of the Children's Privacy Act by imposing a $ 170 million fine and urging regulators not to follow Internet activity of children under 13 years old.
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The Department of Justice and a group of Attorneys General representing almost all states on its dominant online advertising platform are also in their infancy.
Private employers have the ability to limit speeches in their workplace and Google has decided in late April to move the debate among more than 100,000 full-time employees, adding new barriers for discussions on nonprofessional topics and encouraging them to avoid potentially disruptive conversations. Among the new rules: "Discussions that give other Googlers the feeling of not belonging to the community have no place here."
Federal law protects activities such as the formation of a union and discussions on the improvement of wages, among other types of behavior.
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Nevertheless, current and former employees said that Google had grown too much, or sometimes not enough, to protect their speech in the workplace. The NLRB agreement states that Google must actively notify employees that the search giant has eliminated rules against employees sharing confidential information with each other or the media. The regulation does not specify exactly what these rules cover.
Right-wing employees say that expressing their beliefs can make them leaders among Google hiring managers, while left-wing employees have been stumped in their attempt to protest YouTube's evolving policies regarding hate speech, among others.
Some of the most virulent employees were then offered compensation packages to leave the company, they said.
One of the plaintiffs, Kevin Cernekee, a former Google engineer, said he was fired for expressing unpopular political convictions on the company's internal bulletin boards. Google claims that he was fired for misusing the company's hardware. President Trump tweeted his support for Cernekee after the Wall Street Journal wrote about the former employee's allegations of bias last month.
Google declined to comment this week on the action of the NLRB or the case of Mr Cernekee.
The other complainant is a Google employee whose identity remains confidential. He claims to have been punished for posting unflattering opinions about a senior Google executive on
page.
The settlement made by the NLRB is a victory for Google in that it does not formally decide whether Google was wrong. Mr. Cernekee had asked to be reinstated, with salary arrears; he will not receive according to the terms of the regulation.
The NLRB also orders Google to withdraw Cernekee's latest warning letter, which stated that he had breached the "Respect Everyone" section of the company's Code of Conduct in five comments to bulletin boards. e.
Counsel for Mr. Cernekee and the second applicant objected in writing to the settlement, stating that they deserved a hearing to make their views known.
Write to Rob Copeland at [email protected]
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