By Mike Powers 

On July 28 the CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, announced a vaccine mandate for all Google employees. If you read the announcement, you’ll notice that there is no mention of worker input, bargaining, or even an option for workers to provide feedback. The policy was cooked up by management and implemented unilaterally. 

Last week, Governor Brown announced a similar mandate for state employees. Because we have a union, management will have to bargain with us over the implementation of the new policy. Our union is conducting a survey to understand what our diverse membership thinks about the mandate, and our member-elected bargaining team will use that feedback when developing proposals and priorities. 

The stark contrast between our process and Google’s process is the difference between having a union and being on your own. When you’re a member of a union, your employer has to negotiate with you when your working conditions change. On your average day, it’s easy to forget about that. But over the last 16 months we have seen so many changes—telework, masks, the vaccine mandate—I am constantly reminded how important it is to be a part of our union.

When it comes to the vaccine mandate, there is no consensus among our membership. People strongly support the mandate and people strongly oppose the mandate. But I think we can all agree that having a say in how this new policy impacts our lives is a good thing. We’ve heard from members about the importance of creating safe workplaces, including PPE, social distancing and delaying the planned reopening of State offices until the Delta variant is under control. We’ve also heard that people with health reasons or strongly held beliefs need a clear process to make their case for not getting the vaccine. Together in union, we can fight for these accommodations. 

All across the economy, workers are realizing the importance of having a voice on the job. The power of big corporations and the very rich can only be checked by organizations like unions, which provide leverage for working people like you and me. That’s why we’re seeing a rise in interest in unionizing and growing support for unions among American workers. 

The next couple of weeks are going to be challenging. I am thankful I don’t have to go it alone.