‘A race to the bottom’: Google temps are fighting a two-tier labor system

Contracted workers doing the same jobs for less pay and no job security are exposing the tech company's workplace inequalities

Ben Gwin works for Google Shopping in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Though he is technically a temporary worker at the tech giant, Gwin and 65 of his colleagues are now represented by the United Steelworkers union.

The group of workers ratified their first union contract in July after two years at the bargaining table with their contractor, HCL America Inc. The contract victory was historic in an industry that has aggressively opposed union drives, especially among temp and contracted employees.