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Google has agreed to lift a gag order that had prohibited employees from discussing an ongoing antitrust lawsuit, following a labor complaint by the Alphabet Workers Union.
The Alphabet Workers Union-CWA has reached a settlement with Google that affirms all Google employees’ right to speak openly about the Department of Justice’s antitrust lawsuit against the company. The agreement resolves a complaint the union filed last August with the National Labor Relations Board, after Google’s Global Affairs President Kent Walker instructed employees via email to stay silent about the case—a move the union said violated U.S. labor law.
The timing is key. Google and the DOJ are entering the remedy phase of the litigation, with court hearings resuming in late April. The outcome could lead to major structural changes at Google, including forced divestitures of Chrome or Android, the dismantling of distribution deals, and changes in search data syndication.
Union president and Google engineer Parul Koul emphasized that workers must be allowed to discuss and help shape the remedies that will directly impact their jobs. “It’s encouraging that Google has reversed its course on restricting our federally protected right to free expression,” she said.
The union criticized Google for its history of retaliation and for failing to include anti-retaliation protections in its own court proposals—unlike the DOJ’s proposal, which explicitly includes those provisions. The union has also met with the DOJ to advocate for strong worker protections as part of any remedy.
Given recent mass layoffs at Google, the union warns that without worker involvement, any court-ordered changes will most heavily affect frontline employees, not executives. They plan to continue pushing for worker representation in the implementation of remedies and to ensure job security moving forward.
How that Affects us In SEO?
We have seen going back almost to pre-locked down, Google pulled back from all public events they didn’t control the agenda or narrative. We saw this in the last month with Google holding inhouse events in New York and Spain. Until the DOJ antitrust case is settled, we doubt we will see them show up at open events.
As the CEO and founder of Pubcon Inc., Brett Tabke has been instrumental in shaping the landscape of online marketing and search engine optimization. His journey in the computer industry has spanned over three decades and has made him a pioneering force behind digital evolution. Full Bio
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