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Google will require temp workers receive $15 minimum wage and parental leave

Google will require temp workers receive $15 minimum wage and parental leave

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The move follows employee protests

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google said today that it would require its extended, non-employee workforce in the United States receive comprehensive health care coverage, a $15 minimum wage, and 12 weeks of parental leave. The move follows protests from employees and other workers at Google who have pushed the company to offer more benefits.

$15 minimum and 12 weeks of parental leave

Google relies on a massive staff of temporary, vendor, and contract workers, many of whom are supplied by third parties and aren’t offered the same benefits as full Google employees. The disparity has led to calls for better conditions for the workers. Today, The Guardian reported that more than 900 employees have signed a letter supporting temporary workers whose contracts for work on Google Assistant were shortened.

In a statement announcing the changes, Google said it would require companies that provide temporary and vendor staff to offer health care benefits, including mental health, pediatric, oral, and dental services, as well as a minimum of eight paid days of sick leave. Workforce providers will also be required to pay workers at least $15 per hour and offer $5,000 per year in tuition reimbursement. Details of the policy changes were first reported by The Hill.

The wage requirements will go into effect at the end of the year, Google said, and the health care requirements will start before 2022. The Tech Workers Coalition, which has organized tech industry workers, criticized that timeline. “Changes announced today apply to no one working right now—but workers can’t wait years to pay rent, see doctors and care for their families,” the organization said in a tweet.

Google’s extended workforce reportedly makes up about half of its workers. “Even when we’re doing the same work as full-time employees, these jobs routinely fail to provide living wages and often offer minimal benefits,” a group of those workers said in an open letter last year to Google CEO Sundar Pichai “This affects not only us, but also our families and communities.”