AfterDawn: News

EA pays off overtime

The software engineers at Electronic Arts have won $14.9 million in a settlement for unpaid overtime work. The world's largest video game publisher denied overtime pay from newly joined employees, which was settled in California class-action lawsuit in favor of the employees. The settlement covers work during a five year period between Feb. 14, 2001 and Feb. 14, 2006.

EA assures that it is changing practices and almost 200 employees that were denied the overtime pay, will be reclassified as hour workers which makes them eligible for the benefit. "We took progressive steps to address those issues. Our priority is to fairly compensate people for their work. We're going to continue to do things to make people successful and be an attractive employer and a strong competitor," EA spokeswoman Trudy Muller addressed past years' work management.



Having a reputation of overworking employees, this isn't the first time to see lawsuits of this kind. Since the summer of 2004 there have been at least six lawsuits concerning the unpaid overtime including EA, Sony Computer Entertainment America and Vivendi Universal Games, nowadays Vivendi Games.

Source:
SiliconValley.com

For more gaming news please visit Blasteroids.com.

Written by: Matti Robinson @ 27 Apr 2006 0:47

• Previous article

• Warner brings first hybrid DVD / HD DVD titles

• Next article

• New screenshots from Hell's Highway

• 12 comments

• akkuma

  wow, what jerks at EA.

  27.4.2006 04:59 #1

• dabig25

  Wow......thats FREAKIN SAD. Happy the employees won.

  27.4.2006 09:02 #2

• neo1000

  I wish the same could apply here in mexico where a worker has a 10 hour labor day and recieves about US$1 (per hour).

  27.4.2006 09:42 #3

• kaosX

  greaaaat... that mean EA games will be more rushed and even worse?

  27.4.2006 10:03 #4

• hot_ice

  With all the profit Electronic Arts is making, it can't even manage to pay its workers overtime?
  
  Cheap swindlers. If you make x amount of millions in profits yearly, and can't manage to pay your workers, what does that say about your company?
  
  If I was one of their employees, I would change company, problem solved.

  27.4.2006 15:33 #5

• sisph

  Changing companies woudln't help. This kind of thing is rampant whenever it has to deal with relasing software or engineering software. I think this is just the only case where they won their case. I bet this kind of thing happens all the time.

  27.4.2006 19:58 #6

• ZippyDSM

  THis is why 5 large coprate publishers are bad its better to have 20 of anything than only tohave a hand full of the "best" ..unfornately the only thing large coperations do is look out for upper managment >>

  27.4.2006 20:11 #7

• Chanta

  Yeah and you know what? If it gets to tough for EA monetarily/legally):p
  
  They will probably pull out of US, (most of the work anyway) and do what any cheap ass company does to save big bucks and have a software development team somewhere in Dubai or Costa Rica or Korea (asuming that's not the case already), and screw poor under payed and overworked employees even more.
  
  I bet they wouldn't be winning any lawsuits any time soon!

  28.4.2006 14:43 #8

• ZippyDSM

  Chanta
  ggaaaa and I thought games couldnt get worse ><

  28.4.2006 15:11 #9

• xskorpion

  quote: 10 hour labor day and recieves about US$1 (per hour).
  -------------------------------------------------------
  
  BS I live here in Mexico
  
  the longest the goverment allows companies to keep employees working is 8 HOURS not 10 and 15USD a day is good enough here. I mean it.
  
  The minimum pay is 10$ USD per day

  28.4.2006 20:40 #10

• wetsparks

  I just skimed through this but I noticed that hot ice said that EA makes "x millions" every year and they should pay their employers overtime. Just so you know, I saw this show on G4 the other day on EA and it said that EA makes 3 BILLION per year so the 14 million they have to pay out is nothing and yes they are cheap basterds for it.

  4.5.2006 15:20 #11

• ZippyDSM

  wetsparks
  its liek the oil companys not want to reduce the price of gas 1-2$ they would rather piss everyone off...well they know the goverment aint going to anything...the 100 rebate POS is like WTF is that monthly 100 rebate? thats about the only way its help...morons...driling in alaska aint going to help it has to be doubley refined since its not the right kind of oil,we'd be better off building acouple refineries ...*sigh*

  4.5.2006 15:52 #12