Google has agreed to pay $28 million to settle a class action lawsuit alleging that the company pays higher salaries and promotes white and Asian employees more than others. This is reported by UNN with reference to Reuters.
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The initiator of the class action lawsuit was Ana Cantu, who considers herself Mexican. It was filed on behalf of Latinos, Native Americans, American Indians, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, and Alaska Natives working at Google.
Kantu claims that she performed exemplary work for seven years in the company's HR and cloud operations departments, but remained at the same level in the work hierarchy and conditions, while white and Asian employees received additional pay and promotions.
"The Mountain View, California-based company assigns white and Asian people to higher-paying jobs than other employees, even for the same job, and denies promotions and advancement to those who complain. Thus, Google's actions violate California's Equal Pay Act," she notes.
This led to her dismissal from Google in September 2021.
On Tuesday, March 18, Google representative Courtney Mencini confirmed the settlement of the lawsuit.
"We continue to disagree with the allegations that we treated anyone differently and remain committed to fair pay, hiring, and leveling for all employees," he said.
Last week, the settlement received preliminary approval from Judge Charles Adams of the Superior Court of Santa Clara County in California. He called it fair, reasonable, and a "good outcome for the class," which includes at least 6,632 Google employees in California between February 15, 2018, and December 31, 2024. A hearing on final approval of the settlement will be held on September 11.
The settlement of claims will cost the company US$20.4 million after deducting US$7 million for legal costs, penalties related to Cantu's lawsuit under the California Private Attorneys General Act, and other expenses.