PG&E Employees Receive $17.25 Million in Overtime Case
San Francisco Superior Court Judge John K. Stewart granted final approval to a settlement on July 30, 2009 in a class action suit brought on behalf of some 700 current and former Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) employees in California, for unpaid overtime. The settlement will mean that $17,250,000 will be paid out to compensate the employees for their back pay and attorneys’ fees and will require that PG&E pay the majority of the covered employees overtime compensation in the future.
At issue was the classification of the employees, who said that PG&E considered some employees exempt from overtime pay. The employees also alleged that PG&E violated Business and Professions Code §17200. The trial court initially denied class certification, but plaintiffs prevailed on appeal as three subclass of employee were certified pursuant to the job duties test.
While many employers in overtime cases reduce employees’ base pay when converting them from salaried to hourly pay in order to compensate for the availability of overtime pay, this settlement prohibits PG&E from doing so.
Contact Kara Keister at the Law Office of Bowman and Associates today at (916) 923-2800 to pursue your employment related claims.
Sacramento Family Law Attorney Robert Bowman helps clients across California. If you or someone you know has legal questions regarding divorce, child support, child custody, or spousal support cases and more, Robert Bowman is an aggressive advocate for your rights.
