Labor group accuses Google of illegally firing workers to stop unionism

Fox Business Briefs: Google fired four employees, including a staffer, who were actively involved in organizing labor protests at the company, according to an internal memo.

A tumultuous week for Google continued on Thursday when a union brought charges against Alphabet accusing the company of unlawfully firing four employees to deter workers from engaging in union activities.

The Communications Workers of America union filed the labor charge in a complaint seen by Reuters.

The National Labor Relations Board will investigate whether Google violated the workers rights as they raised concerns about working conditions.

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"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," Google told FOX Business in a statement. "No one has been dismissed for raising concerns or debating the company’s activities."

Google also last month acknowledged hiring a consultancy known for defeating unionism.

GOOGLE FIRES EMPLOYEES WHO HELPED ORGANIZE LABOR PROTESTS

The CWA union, which represents 700,000 North Americans in various industries, has been trying to organize workers at Google.

If the NLRB finds violations, it usually tries to help accusers and companies reach a settlement.

Google in September announced such a settlement after an employee accused the company of firing him for his conservative political views.

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Workers and investors have been able to exercise limited oversight over Google's practices because co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin control Alphabet's shareholder voting power.

The co-founders stepped down Tuesday, but retain their votes and board seats.