The employees alleged that Google did not calculate the overtime rate of pay correctly by excluding the value of vested restricted stock units and sign-on bonuses.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, March 15, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ — On March 13, 2023, the district court for the Northern District of California preliminarily approved a settlement of $8.369 million reached between over 6,500 hourly employees from across the country and Google, LLC (“Google”). The lawsuit alleges that Google neglected to include the value of vested restricted stock units and sign-on bonuses it paid employees, when calculating the overtime rate paid for overtime hours worked. The omission, the workers assert, gave Google the benefit of paying hourly workers at a lower overtime rate of pay than the law allows.
The settlement provides allocations to all non-exempt employees who worked for the company from December 22, 2018 through June 5, 2022 who were awarded restricted stock units that vested at any time during that period and/or who received a sign-on bonus during that period, and extends to December 22, 2017 for those in California. While the California class members will automatically be included in the settlement, those outside of California will receive a Notice by mail and email giving them the opportunity to join the settlement by submitting a Consent to Join form to the settlement administrator by June 5, 2023. The district court will hold a final approval hearing to further assess the reasonableness of the settlement on July 27, 2023.
Class Counsel, Michele R. Fisher of Nichols Kaster, PLLP stated, “we are pleased with the settlement we were able to reach with Google and look forward to getting these workers their settlement checks. This case is a good reminder to employers to check to see if they are including all appropriate forms of compensation in the overtime rate of pay.”
The case is entitled, Cody Bowlay-Williams et. al v. Google, LLC, Case No. 4:21-cv-09942 (N.D. Cal.). The workers are represented by Class Counsel Michele Fisher and Daniel Brome of Nichols Kaster, PLLP, and Charles Scalise of Ross Scalise Law Group, P.C. Google, LLC is represented by Paul Hastings LLP. More information about the case can be obtained by contacting Class Counsel at (877) 448-0492 or visiting their website at googleovertimecase.com.
Nichols Kaster, PLLP, an employee, consumer, and civil rights firm has dedicated over 45 years to fighting for clients in individual and class action matters. With offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota and San Francisco, California, the firm is perfectly situated for the work it does representing plaintiffs in cases across the country. The firm has recently received a First Tier ranking on the 2023 Best Law Firms List in Minneapolis for Litigation-Labor and Employment by U.S. News-Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms.”
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