Raters work on Google’s two most vital products — Search and ads. In 2022, Google made more than $224 billion in revenue (PDF) from Search and advertising, accounting for more than 79% of its total revenue. For comparison, that’s more than the entire gross domestic product of Greece.
“We support billions of dollars of revenue,” Google rater Ed Stackhouse told NPR. “And we get paid less than your average fast food worker.”
Google raters who work for Appen make between $14 and $14.50 an hour and under company policy can’t work more than 29 hours a week. Raters who spoke with NPR said they have health conditions or family needs that require them to work from home and they appreciate they can do that. But, since they can’t work more than 29 hours a week, they’re not eligible for benefits like health care and sick leave.
Google spokesperson Courtenay Mencini told NPR in a statement that “Our suppliers manage all employment terms for the raters, including pay and benefits.” Appen, which is an Australian company that has other big tech clients such as Salesforce and LinkedIn, didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.
Ramping up the pressure
A group of about 50 Google workers gathered in an outdoor courtyard at the company’s sprawling California headquarters in February. Many of them wore red t-shirts that sported the Alphabet Workers Union logo, which is a labor group made up of people who work for Google and its parent company Alphabet.
They unfurled a massive white cloth banner that read, “Google: End Rater Poverty” and chanted “Equal pay for equal work.”
Raters had come from around the country to hand deliver a petition to Prabhakar Raghavan, Google’s senior vice president in charge of Search, ads and other divisions. The petition, which has now been signed by more than 850 raters, asks Raghavan to meet with them to discuss better pay and benefits.