Google’s California Overtime Class Action Ends in $875,000 Deal

A group of Google employees filed a class action lawsuit against the tech giant, alleging that they were not granted proper California overtime wages.

The California overtime lawsuit was brought forward by hundreds of Google security guards and other employees who claim that they were not given their full overtime and rest breaks. An $875,000 settlement was reached and recently granted preliminary approval.

While a settlement agreement does not determine liability, it does bring these claims to an end and grants plaintiffs involved in the case compensation.

According to the California overtime lawsuit, which was filed in June of 2017, Google failed to provide adequate meal and rest breaks to its security staff. When a guard was discharged, the claim noted, Google also failed to pay earned wages in a timely manner. On top of this, Google allegedly skimped on overtime, as well as committing other labor violations.

The lead plaintiffs are each set to receive $7,500 in addition to their Class Member settlement award.

The settlement agreement between Google and the California overtime plaintiffs was fairly simple to reach, and only involved adjusting one line in the original settlement, which said that class members had to mail a written objection to the settlement administrator should they want to object. Instead, the judge said that objecting class members could show up at the final approval hearing without advance notice.

“It’s our practice in this court to make sure that any objecting class members can come in on the day of the final approval and say, ‘I disagree with this and here’s why,’” Judge Kuhnle said. In response, the language was changed and preliminary approval was then granted.

Wage and Hour Regulations

There are a series of both federal and state wage and hour laws put in place to protect workers and ensure they are treated fairly. However, many workers across the country do not know the protections that the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) offers, which can lead to employers taking advantage of them, in some cases requiring unpaid overtime work despite the illegality of doing so.

Some workers may find themselves unable to file wage and hour complaints like this unpaid overtime lawsuit because they are not aware of FLSA rules. Others may be afraid that their employers will retaliate or even fire them if they speak up about these kinds of FLSA violations. To protect workers who help to enforce FLSA rules, laws also exist to protect workers from discrimination based on wage and hour complaints.

Filing an Unpaid Overtime Lawsuit

If you have worked for an employer like Google that may have failed to follow the Fair Labor Standards Act or state labor laws, such as proper overtime requirements, you may be able to either join a wage and hour class action lawsuit or file an unpaid overtime lawsuit of your own.

Join a Free California Wage & Hour Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were forced to work off the clock or without overtime pay within the past 3 years in California, you have rights – and you don’t have to take on the company alone.

Get a Free Case Evaluation Now