Google Employees Champion Equal Pay, Challenge Gender-Based Discrimination On Behalf Of 17,000 Class Members
Holly Pease and Kelli Wisuri, 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees
In September 2017, Plaintiffs Kelly Ellis, Holly Pease, Kelli Wisuri, and Heidi Lamar filed a class-action gender discrimination suit against Google. The four former Google employees alleged that Google’s leveling and compensation practices violated the California Equal Pay Act and Unfair Competition Law.
Heidi Lamar
Leaving Google due to the gender-based discrimination I experienced was devastating for me. I was deeply committed to the work I was engaged in and had formed close relationships with my coworkers and families in my classroom at the Google Children's Center. I had hoped I would find a reason to stay. I wanted a sound explanation as to why my male colleague with less experience and education was hired at a higher level and higher pay when I had been told that all Google teachers are hired at a level 1. I didn't find it, and left Google. I couldn’t work at a company that engaged in gender-based discrimination.
The unsettled feeling I had remained with me even after I left Google. I worried for my many colleagues who might be facing similar injustices. I was troubled by the way Google's name was referenced as the gold standard for ethical, unbiased practices. Choosing to take a stand by joining the other named plaintiffs was easy.
I could not be more thrilled that a settlement has been reached. I'm proud to know that I've played a small part in helping class members receive payments. My hope is that the injunctive relief will not only combat the gender-based discrimination at Google, but influence other tech companies to follow suit.
Kelli Wisuri
I loved working at Google; it was my second job in tech, and I was in awe of the opportunity. So when I observed small injustices towards my colleagues like being underpaid or passed over for promotion, I brushed them off and assumed Google knew best. After all, it was Google! But after witnessing or experiencing too many slights over the years and feeling disheartened by the severe lack of women in leadership, I left. I didn’t feel that I had real career opportunities there, nor that my contributions were taken seriously.
I sensed there were systemic injustices at Google, but I didn’t have the data to back it up. Then along came the case! This case was my opportunity to drive change and make Google a better place to work.
Kelly Ellis
When litigation began, I had already left Google several years prior, but was still bothered by a lot of things about my time there. While I was at Google, I felt I had experienced pay discrimination, but it was only later that I realized just how systemic and widespread it was. I wanted to take a stand because they shouldn’t get away with pay discrimination! I also hoped the litigation would positively shape policies across the industry, as Google is an industry leader. Though the case continued for a long time, when we finally reached the settlement agreement I was elated - I still feel very proud of this accomplishment, and what we have achieved for the members of the class. I look forward to a day when we have enough pay transparency in place so that members of all protected classes can ensure they’re being compensated fairly.
Holly Pease
In 2015, I attended an event for female senior leaders (Senior Manager to VP) in engineering. At the time, there were roughly 15,000 Google engineers located in Mountain View. As one of the only 2 female Senior Managers in my area of engineering, I was ready to learn from my female colleagues about how they had reached their career goals and made a difference at Google. As I scanned the meeting invitation, I counted 17 names of software engineering managers at the Senior Manager level and above. That is, 15,000 software engineers at Google Headquarters had 17 women as role models, out of a conservatively-estimated 400 senior management leaders in engineering. I attended the leadership event and it was very nice to network with my colleagues. However, as less than 5% of the leadership workforce, this group was unlikely to make any difference in opportunities and fairness for women in the technical fields at Google.
I joined this lawsuit because Google has been a leader in high-tech since its inception and the company should have been a leader in its labor practices regarding women and minorities. My fellow named plaintiffs and I were united in ensuring there would be long-term injunctive relief as part of the settlement agreement. I hope that my participation has some impact, not only with labor practices at Google but for the industry overall.
In addition to working with Daniel, I worked with Elizabeth Kramer who was my greatest strength during litigation. Her compassion, her patience and her dedication got me through the darkest days of this lawsuit. She was with me every step of the way until the lawsuit was finally settled. The day the suit was settled I was flooded with emotion. My greatest worry during the entire process was for the other women in the lawsuit. I wanted them to have the justice they needed and I wanted them to be heard and healed. I still think of them and their stories and I expect I will for the rest of my life.
It was never about the money for me. I know people won’t believe that, but it is true. It was always about justice for all of my fellow students, for my fellow women and justice for them. I wanted them to feel believed and understood. I so badly want them to find the peace with what happened to them, a peace I'm still searching for myself but I'm confident I will find it one day.
Kelly Ellis, Kelli Wisuri, Holly Pease, and Heidi Lamar were inducted into the Impact Fund Class Action Hall of Fame on February 24th, 2023, in recognition of their courage, sacrifice, commitment, and determination that led to a significant advance in social justice.
