Google and one of its staffing agencies have recently agreed to settle claims that its workersweresignificantly unpaid for hours worked. The Silicon Valley staffing agency, Vaco Technology Services LLC, and Google have agreed to pay out $1.5 million in order resolve these claims brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and California state laws. A proposed class of more than 200 workers who were involved in completing work for Google’s educational virtual reality projects stand to benefit from this payout if the settlement is approved by a federal judge.
The claims in the lawsuit, that was brought back in 2017, were extensive and allegedthe following:• Affected workers alleged they should have been classified as non-exempt as opposed to exemptfrom receiving overtime when working over 40 hours per week.• Affected workers claimed that they were often required to work through their 30-minute meal and 10-minute rest breaks without compensation.• Affected workers alleged being pressured by management to remain at their desks and “fudge” their time-cards to indicate they were taking their breaks.• Affected workers alleged having to cover costs that were never reimbursed such as using their own cars to get to and from job sites and appointments as well as electrical costs for charging all the company cellphones at home to have them ready for staff use.
Although Google and Vaco deny these allegations, both sides have agreed that this is a fair and reasonable settlement after taking into consideration all the unknowns of moving forward with these claims. Employees affected by this settlement include those who worked as audit order operation specialists, content bug technicians, Google Expedition team members, or other similarly situated job titles at any point between 2013 and the judge’s preliminary approval date of this settlement. It is important to remember that even the most well-established companies often fail to properly compensate its employees with accordance to wage and hour laws. You have rights under federal and state laws that protect you from being paid improperly. To find out now if you may have a claim for owed wages call our firm, Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP, for a free and confidential consultation. We can be reached at (212) 300-0375 or on our website here.