Google has settled a class-action lawsuit accusing Google of systematically underpaying women, promising to provide $118 million in financial aid and inviting outsiders to review its payment practices.
Three former Google employees first sued the company in 2017 in Ellis v. Google LLC, claiming it paid women less than men for the same job; a fourth claimant was added later. A San Francisco Superior Court judge must now approve Friday’s settlement, which affects about 15,500 women who have worked at Google in 236 different job titles since September 14, 2013 in California.
For Google, which prides itself on an egalitarian ethos, the long-running legal dispute was an inconvenient topic. It coincided with gender discrimination lawsuits against tech colleagues Microsoft and Oracle that had mixed results. The women who sued the software company Oracle faced a setback on Friday, Bloomberg Law reported earlier, when a judge stripped the plaintiffs of their class action status.
“While we strongly believe in the fairness of our policies and practices, after nearly five years of litigation, both sides agreed that a resolution of the matter, without any acknowledgment or findings, was in the best interests of all,” he said. Chris Pappas, a Google spokesperson, said in a statement. “We are very happy with this agreement.” Google has analyzed pay equality over the past nine years and increased employee pay when warranted, he added.
For three years after a formal settlement approval, Google will have outside experts assess how it can improve its compensation system and be fairer in determining rank and compensation for new hires. There will also be an outside monitor to assess whether the company is following the experts’ recommendations, according to the firms representing the plaintiffs, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein and Altshuler Berzon.
“As a woman who has spent her entire career in the tech industry, I am optimistic that the actions Google has taken as part of this settlement will bring greater equality to women,” said Holly Pease, one of the prosecutors, in a statement. declaration. pronunciation.
