Can we just get the law changed, already? Enough of this 3rd party loophole nonsense. If you’re an “associate” whose job depends on taking orders from Google, you’re a Google employee. Period.
Who signs your paycheck is an irrelevant technicality in this sort of situation.
Not their employer.
It’s more complicated than that.
The NLRB, however, upheld on two occasions that Google and Cognizant were joint employers of the YouTube Music workers, and that therefore both companies were obligated to bargain a contract with them. Google said it would appeal the decision.
“Oh we had no idea the factory we vetted and hired to manufacture our products had working conditions so poor they had to pit up suicide nets. Not our company though!”
Always a technicality and an excuse. Google went this route because the company promised unreasonably inexpensive labor, yet there’ll always be people like you that call that simply call that good business.