GE Osmonics Agrees to $1 Million Settlement of Class Action Lawsuit Alleging that Company Underpaid Employees in California
Last week U.S. District Judge Jeffrey T. Miller approved a $1 million settlement agreement in a class action lawsuit which alleged that GE Osmonics Inc. (GEO) denied its workers wages and breaks to which they were entitled under state law. As part of the settlement, Judge Miller certified the class of 156 former and current employees and named plaintiff Silvia Morales as the class representative.
The suit was originally filed in a state court in California in February 2010 and later transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California in May 2010. The suit alleged that GEO’s pay policies disfavored nonexempt workers and that such workers were routinely paid less than what they earned. According to the complaint, the company attempted to “increase profitability by creating and implementing a system that fails to properly compensate its California employees for off-the-clock work and overtime and for missed and/or interrupted meal and rest breaks and vacation pay.”
The settlement agreement also provides $250,000 in attorneys’ fees to the plaintiffs, $13,500 in claims administration fees and an additional $10,000 as a service award for Ms. Morales. Approval of the settlement is not a finding of wrongdoing nor is it an admission of any wrongdoing by GEO.
GEO was acquired by General Electric Company in 2002 and is manufacturer of equipment used in water filtration and treatment systems.
Tags: GE Osmonics, general electric
