Google hit with class-action over gender-pay discrimination

A class action filed Thursday against Google claims the tech company systemically pays women less than men in similar jobs and also enables unequal promotions and opportunities for male and female workers.

The sex discrimination case filed in San Francisco Superior Court, Ellis v. Google, accuses the Mountain View, California, company of paying women at all levels less than men in comparable positions, assigning women lower-tier jobs with lower pay and compensation than men and promoting women less frequently. The lawsuit also claims Google failed to correct these issues even after being made aware of them.

“Google has discriminated and continues to discriminate against its female employees by systematically paying them lower compensation than Google pays to male employees performing substantially similar work under similar working conditions,” the lawsuit claims.

The suit was filed on behalf of three women — Kelly Ellis, Holly Pease, and Kelli Wisuri — who say they were placed into lower career tracks than their male co-workers and received lower salaries and bonuses because of it. They assert that Google’s actions violate California law, including the California Equal Pay Act, and are asking for lost wages and damages, and for Google to be forced to correct its allegedly discriminatory hiring practices.

Google, where women make up only 31 percent of the global workforce and hold just 20 percent of technology jobs, is fighting the U.S. Department of Labor in court, seeking to withhold salary data it argues is private but that the department is demanding for its probe into alleged pay discrimination against women.

Thursday’s legal action by the three employees seeks class-action status to cover all women employed by the Mountain View search giant in the past four years.

“It was time to stand up and say, ‘This isn’t OK, this isn’t fair, and no more,’ ” said plaintiff Kelly Ellis. “It really feels like a good time to be bringing this lawsuit, because people are waking up to the fact that sexism is pervasive and real in Silicon Valley and in the technology industry.”

Google’s vice-president of HR, Eileen Naughton, has countered that the firm’s own annual analysis has shown “no gender pay gap.”

Google will review the suit in detail, but disagrees with the “central allegations,” company spokeswoman Gina Scigliano said Thursday.

“We work really hard to create a great workplace for everyone, and to give everyone the chance to thrive here,” Scigliano said. “Job levels and promotions are determined through rigorous hiring and promotion committees, and must pass multiple levels of review, including checks to make sure there is no gender bias in these decisions.

The suit seeks unspecified “wages due” and damages, plus a share of Google profits from “its unlawful and/or unfair business practices.” It also demands Google stop paying women less than men for equivalent work.