Google agreed to settle a collective action sex discrimination The lawsuit accuses the multinational tech giant of systematically underpaying women in California.
As part of the deal, Google will pay US$118 million to about 15,500 workers who say they are paid less than their male counterparts for similar work.
Google has also agreed to hire an independent third party to oversee its hiring practices and a labor economist to review its pay equity studies annually. Press Release The settlement notice says the plaintiffs believe the measures will help address pay inequities within the company and also combat unfair “leveling practices.”
When Ellis sued Google LLC was first filed in 2017it represents only three women – and it alleges discrimination not only on the basis of pay but also “promotion, job allocation and promotion.”
Google has a tiered pay system where employees at higher levels get higher salaries and bonuses.
Before it was amended, the lawsuit also claimed that newly recruited women were being ranked lower than men with the same work experience, resulting in lower wages overall. It has been narrowed down to pay for discrimination.
The plaintiffs won class action status in 2021. The lawsuit now represents women in 236 job titles who say they were underpaid in the four years leading up to the 2017 lawsuit being filed.
That was the same year that Google was also sued by the U.S. Department of Labor over “systematic wage disparities that are quite substantial across the entire workforce,” according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Financial Times. The lawsuit also alleges that Google discriminates Asian job applicants.
Google also settled that case and paid out more than $3.8 million to 5,500 employees and potential hires.
Holly Pease, the central plaintiff in the lawsuit, spent more than a decade at Google in senior technical roles. She wrote that she was “optimistic that the actions Google has agreed to take as part of this agreement will ensure greater equity for women.”
“Google, since its inception, has led the technology industry. They also have leadership opportunities in charge to ensure inclusion and equality for women in the tech sector,” she added.
Plaintiffs’ co-advisor Kelly Dermody called the settlement “setting a precedent.”
The terms of the settlement still need to be approved by a judge and a preliminary hearing has been set for June 21.
Google did not admit wrongdoing in agreeing to this settlement.
“While we strongly believe in fairness in our policies and practices, after nearly five years of litigation, both parties have agreed that the settlement of the matter without any admission or discovery, is in everyone’s best interest and we are pleased to have reached this agreement,” it said in a statement.
The company added that “for the past nine years, we have performed a rigorous pay equity analysis to ensure wages, bonuses and equity rewards are equitable.”
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
