Google under investigation for 'Thanksgiving Four' firings, allegedly discouraging unions

Google now faces another federal investigation into its labor practice just months after a separate settlement with the NLRB.

In that settlement, a Google employee filed a federal complaint last year, alleging the company restricted free speech and fired him for expressing conservative views.

The latest investigation stems from employee uproar over the interrogation and subsequent firing of employees Rebecca Rivers and Laurence Berland, who had been placed on sudden and indefinite administrative leave in November for allegedly sharing sensitive information.

After that, Berland and Rivers held a rally in San Francisco that drew in roughly 200 Google workers, demanding the company reinstate the two employees and stating they were placed on leave in retaliation for their activism against the company's handling of hate policies and immigration issues.

The week of Thanksgiving, Google fired four employees, including Berland and Rivers, claiming they shared confidential documents and breached security.