Staff at Google offices around the world are staging an unprecedented series of walkouts in protest at the company's treatment of women. The employees are demanding several key changes in how sexual misconduct allegations are dealt with at the firm, including a call to end forced arbitration - a move which would make it possible for victims to sue.
Forced arbitration, a common contract clause for Silicon Valley workers, demands any disputes are dealt with internally rather than through other methods such as the courts. Critics of forced arbitration say it is used to not only protect the reputations of both the company and the accused, but also to silence victims who are unable to appeal against decisions or take further action.
Staff involved in Thursday's walkout will leave a note on their desks telling colleagues: "I’m not at my desk because I’m walking out with other Googlers and contractors to protest sexual harassment, misconduct, lack of transparency, and a workplace culture that’s not working for everyone." They are also making formal demands to Google’s management. They are:
An end to forced arbitration in cases of harassment and discrimination for all current and future employees;
A commitment to end pay and opportunity inequality;
A publicly disclosed sexual harassment transparency report;
A clear, uniform, globally inclusive process for reporting sexual misconduct safely and anonymously;
The elevation of the chief diversity officer to answer directly to the CEO, and make recommendations directly to the board of directors;
The appointment of an employee representative to the board.
Which are all very reasonable things that people should be entitled to, not have to protest for. I'm amazed forced arbitration is a thing. How can a contract be legal if it requires you to give up your right to a judicial hearing ? Plato had the essence of it (caveats notwithstanding in order to make the point succinctly) :
Where the law is subject to some other authority and has none of its own, the collapse of the state, in my view, is not far off; but if law is the master of the government and the government is its slave, then the situation is full of promise and men enjoy all the blessings that the gods shower on a state.
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-46054202
Bloody good show. I was disgusted when I read this
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/25/technology/google-sexual-harassment-andy-rubin.html
Ș90 million!
That would give nearly a million people in Africa clean water for a year