Google under investigation by National Labor Relations Board for 'Thanksgiving Four' firings

Google is reported to be under investigation by the United States National Labor Relations Board (NLRB.gov) for allegations of discouraging union organizing among workers, and for firing the so-called "Thanksgiving Four."

NLRB began an official investigation into Google after the recent firing of four employees, just months after the company reached a labor settlement with the federal agency.

The investigation is expected to take roughly three months, Jennifer Elias at CNBC reports:

An agency spokesperson confirmed to CNBC Monday that the probe, which will include whether Google violated labor laws when it recently fired four employees, has officially commenced. It will also look at whether Google discouraged employees from engaging in union activity. The investigation is expected to take roughly three months and be conducted by its regional staff based in Oakland.

A Google spokesperson provided the same statement it's been using since the firings of the four employees:

"We dismissed four individuals who were engaged in intentional and often repeated violations of our longstanding data security policies, including systematically accessing and disseminating other employees' materials and work," the statement says. "No one has been dismissed for raising concerns or debating the company's activities."

The latest investigation comes after four Google employees filed a federal complaint with the NLRB on Dec. 5, alleging unfair labor practices, which would violate a settlement made by Google. It also comes as Google's parent company, Alphabet, just got a new leader in Sundar Pichai. Google now faces another federal investigation into its labor practice just months after a separate settlement with the NLRB.

Google under investigation for 'Thanksgiving Four' firings, allegedly discouraging unions

[CNBC, via techmeme]