Austin, TX
YouTube Music workers laid off while speaking before Austin, Texas city council
On February 29, Google laid off its entire YouTube Music team of workers while they were speaking before a televised city council meeting in Austin, Texas. The workers were responsible for curating themed playlists and reviewing song metadata in support of the YouTube Music group. They worked for Google contractor Cognizant, although a court recently ruled that they were co-employed by Google.
The workers were active in the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU-CWA), informally known as the Google Union, which includes 1,400 workers across the US. They voted to join the AWU-CWA in April of last year and were particularly active against Google’s decision to end remote work. While Cognizant claims the layoffs were simply due to the end of their contract with Google, it is highly likely they were targeted for organizing against the tech giant.
However, the firings also come in the context of a massive jobs bloodbath across the global economy but concentrated particularly in the technology sector, which has laid off more than 310,000 people since the start of 2023, according to layoffs.fyi. Google alone has announced more than 13,000 layoffs, including 3,500 contractors from YouTube from Cognizant and Accenture in May of last year.
In January of this year Google announced it was laying off hundreds of workers in its Augmented Reality division, which produces hardware such as Google Pixel phones and Fitbit smart watches, as well as its personal assistant division.
No doubt, Google is hoping to automate the work done by human curators through new artificial intelligence technologies. Music analytics has been increasingly automated with artificial intelligence being used extensively at big name music streamers, such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube and Sound Cloud.
Google has committed to investing $2 billion into the OpenAI competitor Anthropic, according to CNBC news. In January Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that the company would “remove layers [of its workforce]” in order to free up funds for “investing in … [the company’s] big priorities.” This follows its December 2023 launch of its AI chatbot Gemini, which was intended to be the “biggest upgrade yet” to its AI chatbot Bard.
Cognizant is a multinational information technology company based in India and was first founded in 1994. It had a net income of $2.29 billion in 2022 and employs over 300,000 employees globally, 200,000 of which are in India. It has units throughout Europe, China, the Philippines, Latin America and elsewhere. It ranked 194 on the Fortune 500 list for 2022.
Cognizant has contracts with large corporations, such as Nike, the Volkswagen Group, Microsoft, with whom it is working to “infuse generative AI into healthcare administration,” according to the company.
It has also established its own “Advanced Artificial Intelligence Lab” in San Francisco, which, according to its website, “will focus on advancing the science and practice of AI through innovation and development of intellectual property and AI-enablement technologies.” The lab is part of Cognizant’s announcement last year to invest $1 billion in “generative AI.”
According to the AWU-CWA, workers at YouTube Music make as little as $19 an hour with minimal benefits. Many are forced to work multiple jobs to make ends meet.
Jack Benedict, a YouTube data analyst and member of the Alphabet Workers Union, noted that YouTube Music workers had struck last year in opposition to YouTube’s “return-to-office” policy, which threatened the jobs of remote workers who did not live near the office. Benedict added that in September they launched an Unfair Labor Practices strike over YouTube’s refusal to bargain with the union. Google still refuses to negotiate a contract despite an NLRB ruling that this violates US labor law.
The city council passed a non-binding resolution calling for Google and Cognizant to negotiate with the YouTube Music Content Operations Team. The workers, who planned to stay and celebrate the passage of the resolution, instead had to go to their offices to retrieve their belongings.
As of this writing, the CWA has made no reference to the highly provocative firings on its website. Their Facebook page merely re-posted a release from the Alphabet Workers Facebook page without comment.
Cognizant has claimed that this was a routine contract expiration, that workers are still Cognizant employees, and that workers would receive seven weeks of paid time to “explore other roles within the organization.” It claimed the timing of the contract expiry was “purely coincidental.”
A Google spokesperson made similar claims. The far more likely explanation is that the company was making an example of the workers for their participation in last year’s strikes.
But in spite of the courage shown by Google workers, the CWA is concerned only with developing the same incestuous ties with management as it has long held at traditionally unionized workplaces. The bureaucracy has routinely sold out major strikes by telecommunications workers, including in 2016 at Verizon and last year at AT&T.
In recent years, the CWA has expanded its presence among tech workers and software developers. One major beachhead in the video game industry was established with the founding of the Game Workers Alliance, which has a significant presence at game publisher Activision Blizzard.
The CWA shut down a strike at one of the company’s subsidiaries in January of 2022. It then endorsed Microsoft’s takeover bid for Activision Blizzard in return for a neutrality agreement that it would not deter the union’s organizing efforts. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced it would cut 1,900 jobs at Activision Blizzard.
The World Socialist Web Site opposes the firings at YouTube Music and demands the workers be immediately reinstated. But in order to wage a serious fight against job cuts, workers must enforce democratic control over their struggle and fight any attempts at a sellout by the union bureaucracy through rank-and-file committees.
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This week on Texas Eats:
Ramen Tatsu-Ya
1600 E 6th St., Austin, Texas 78702
Ramen Tatsu-ya is an Austin staple known for serious Japanese ramen, crafted by chefs Tatsu Aikawa and Takuya Matsumoto. Their broths are slow-cooked, complex, and authentic, and their noodle bowls are rich, comforting, and widely praised by locals and critics alike.
Otto’s Ice House
111 Newell Ave., San Antonio, Texas 78212
Otto’s Ice House, located in the Pearl District, mixes the chill vibes of a Texas ice house with upscale touches. From street tacos and bratwurst to creative cocktails and live music, it’s a place to kick back with friends outdoors or by the river. The menu is casual but well-executed, and the owner Levi Goode brings in a reputation for quality and storytelling.
Texas Bistro
1932 S Seguin Avenue #209, New Braunfels, Texas 78130
Texas Bistro is a New American restaurant in New Braunfels that focuses on fresh, thoughtfully prepared dishes in a relaxed but refined environment. It draws praise as one of the area’s standout places for dinner.
Goode Co. BBQ
5109 Kirby Drive, Houston, Texas 77098
Goode Co. Barbeque is a long-standing Houston institution (since 1977) specializing in Texas-style barbecue slow-smoked over mesquite wood. They serve tender brisket, ribs, sausage, and classic sides, often paired with their signature pecan pie. The vibe is down-home, rustic, and welcoming — a place built around tradition, smoked meats, and a sense of genuine Texas BBQ hospitality.
Canje
1914 E 6th St. Ste C, Austin, Texas 78702
Canje is a vibrant Caribbean-inspired restaurant founded by Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph. Located in East Austin, it blends Caribbean and Guyanese traditions with modern techniques, emphasizing fresh, regionally-sourced ingredients and sustainable practices. The atmosphere is lively and colorful, with bold flavors and inventive dishes that reflect the broader diaspora of island cuisines.
Best Quality Daughter
602 Avenue A, San Antonio, Texas 78215
Best Quality Daughter is an Asian-American restaurant in the Pearl, founded by Chef Jennifer Dobbertin. It showcases flavors from her heritage and her travels, offering dishes that blend comfort with creativity in a welcoming space. It’s earned acclaim locally and has become a key part of San Antonio’s emerging food scene.
McAdoo’s Seafood
196 N Castell Ave., New Braunfels, Texas 78130
McAdoo’s is an upscale seafood restaurant in downtown New Braunfels housed in the old post office building. They offer a mix of fresh seafood, authentic Cajun-Creole dishes, and Texas Creole favorites. The setting includes a courtyard and intimate bar, and the menu combines fine dining touches with hearty, flavor-forward preparations.
La Tequila Mexican Restauarnt
90 Crossroads Blvd., Balcones Heights, Texas 78201
La Tequila Jalisco offers auténtica comida mexicana in Balcones Heights with a menu full of Jalisco-style dishes like enchiladas, fried shrimp, and classic tacos. Its warm, family-friendly setting makes it a go-to for locals craving hearty, approachable Mexican food.
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AUSTIN (The Texas Tribune) — The records in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s divorce case have been unsealed.
Judge Robert Brotherton, who is presiding over the case, signed an order Friday morning allowing the records to be made public. The decision came after Paxton and his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, announced that they had come to an agreement late Thursday to unseal the documents.
Tyler Bexley, an attorney for a group of media organizations fighting for the records to be released, celebrated the decision as a win for transparency.
“We’re certainly pleased with the result,” Bexley said after the hearing.
The move was an abrupt about-face for the couple, who had fought to keep the records secret. It’s unclear exactly what brought on the change.
The records were released before noon. They show the Paxtons have entered mediation, and their blind trust had doled out $20,000 to each of them to pay for their attorneys. The documents also show that earlier this month, Angela Paxton asked her husband to produce records pertinent to the case. They also show multiple judges recused themselves from the case before it was given to Brotherton, a visiting judge based in Wichita Falls.
The Texas Newsroom previously published copies of several records — including Paxton’s general denial of his wife’s divorce petition — before they were sealed.
The records did not shed more light on the couple’s financial situation, division of assets or the alleged affair that led to the divorce — but additional filings will be made as the case continues. Bexley said the media organizations agreed to redactions only of personal information like Social Security numbers and home addresses.
State Sen. Angela Paxton filed for divorce in July alleging adultery. Soon after, she asked for the court record to be sealed. A previous judge handling the case agreed and put all of the records under seal. Ken Paxton initially supported the decision, filing a court document that accused the press of attempting to unfairly invade his personal life.
Eight media organizations and a nonpartisan nonprofit opposed the sealing. The media group argued Paxton’s divorce records should be public because he is an elected official running for office who has faced repeated allegations of corruption. The attorney general’s finances, which are a subject of the divorce case, have been central to the misconduct allegations against him. While he has been charged with multiple crimes during his decade in statewide office, Paxton has never been convicted.
Paxton is now challenging John Cornyn in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
Laura Roach, one of Ken Paxton’s lawyers, said after the Friday hearing that the attorney general had always wanted the record to be unsealed.
“Mr. Paxton has always wanted us to actually unseal it,” she said. “Attorneys get on a path and we think that that’s the right way to go and we were finally able to get everybody on the same page.”
When asked why he initially opposed it so strongly, she added, “that’s just legal stuff. … His attorneys said that.”
Angela Paxton had asked the records be sealed because doing so would “not have an adverse affect on the public health or safety.” Her representatives declined to respond on Friday.
Michael Clauw, the communications director for the nonprofit Campaign for Accountability that also sought the release of the records, said he does not believe Ken Paxton actually wanted them to be made public.
“It’s ridiculous to believe that Ken Paxton ‘always wanted’ his divorce record to be unsealed,” he said. “Only when it became apparent he likely would lose in court did he change his tune.”
Roach said she expects the case to be resolved amicably soon. Neither Ken Paxton nor Angela Paxton appeared at the court.
This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at www.texastribune.org. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans – and engages with them – about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
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