Google has reached an agreement with the workers protesting the immigration cloud deal

A Google logo can be seen outside the Google Store, where visitors can try out the company's phones and other products,  in New York City, New York, U.S, February 10, 2022. (Photo was taken February 10, 2022. REUTERS/Paresh Dave)

Alphabet Inc's Google has reached an agreement with six current and former employees who claimed the company unfairly stifled worker organizing in a case involving potential sales of its cloud technology to U.S. immigration authorities, bringing an abrupt end to a trial that had been paused for several months.

Last year, the US National Labor Relations Board pursued the case on behalf of the workers, bringing Google before an administrative law judge. Weeks of hearings were then halted pending a decision on whether the NLRB could compel Google legal chief Kent Walker to testify.

According to Laurie Burgess, an attorney for the workers, they had become emotionally exhausted from fighting Google. She explained that they had to weigh that against the desire to reveal more "juicy" evidence about Project Vivian, Google's effort to quell worker activism.

"We've had enough exposure, and it's time for my clients to move on with their lives," Burgess said.

According to legal filings, the workers independently settled with Google last Wednesday, the NLRB did not object, and the case was dismissed by a judge in San Francisco last Friday. Vice broke the news of the settlement on Monday.

The terms of the settlement were not made public. A similar lawsuit in California state court was also dismissed.

The case involved Google's actions against employees who were part of a larger group protesting the company's cloud technology relationship with US immigration authorities in 2019.

According to the government, Google interrogated employees and fired some of them in order to discourage people from engaging in legally protected concerted activities.

The company denied wrongdoing, claiming that the employees it fired or suspended had improper access to files and had no right to dictate with whom the company did business.

Google said on Monday that it was relieved that everyone avoided years of legal wrangling.

"We've always supported our employees' right to speak up about their working conditions, and we stand by our policies that protect the security of our systems and protect user, customer, and employee data," Google stated.

For years, worker activism has been on the rise in Silicon Valley. Last year, hundreds of Google employees formed a small labor organization in the hopes of better protecting their rights during future protests.

Source: Paresh Dave and Julia Love contributed reporting, and Jonathan Oatis edited.