EA Settles Overtime Lawsuit 54
Heffenfeffer writes "Gamasutra reports that Electronic Arts is settling their class action suit with their programmers to the tune of $14.9 million. It also turns out that one of the named plaintiffs of said lawsuit was the spouse of the formerly anonymous blogger "ea_spouse" who wrote a scathing commentary on EA over a year ago which may have formed the basis of this suit."
Re:Shocking... (Score:5, Insightful)
Jaysyn
The thing is... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Shocking... (Score:2)
I think that IBM, Microsoft, UPS and Wal-Mart might disagree with you. And those are just the multimillion dollar settlements.
As somebody else pointed out, though, the real shame of it all is that the big payday will be for the attorneys.
-h-
Re:Shocking... (Score:2)
Re:Shocking... (Score:1)
Jaysyn
Re:Shocking... (Score:2)
Re:Shocking... (Score:1)
$14.9 mil is a drop in the bucket for EA. Their insurance will likely take care of it in some fashion and it won't actually affect their profits for the year.
cat "got" my tongue. (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:cat "got" my tongue. (Score:1)
Re:cat "got" my tongue. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:cat "got" my tongue. (Score:4, Insightful)
The key to happiness in this world is to find something that brings you some satisfaction and that pays enough to keep you happy. Some people are have very low needs and are happy with $20,000 and a job they find fully rewarding. Other people are happy making $100,000 on a job they would quit without even the curtsy of a two weeks notice they ever won the lottery.
A few lucky people get the best of both worlds and work a high paying job that they love. I have met workaholic business owners that fill this exact category. One guy in particular that I know well over 80 hours a week owns a massive house with a dozen cars that he never uses because he is only home for more then a few days a month. He is probably going to die of a heart attack in the next 10 years, but he truly loves what he does and would probably do it for much less. I have also met people that dropped out of high school, got no education, and are working shit jobs that they hate for shit pay.
Most people though, they really fall somewhere in-between. They balance self fulfillment in the working world with money. You don't go to school for a sociology major expecting to get out of college and run into a pile of money. People make their choices. This programs are no different. They have intentionally picked a field with poor pay. Using the education they already have they have the option of finding higher paid work. If making video games is what they really love to do though, then they need to find a balance. Is the shit pay worth the job? If it isn't, get the fuck out.
Re:cat "got" my tongue. (Score:4, Insightful)
If you look at the relationship between a worker and his employer it is naturally coersive. The employer has a measure of power over worker. Yes, technically the worker can leave at anytime, but this involves some level of risk, so the worker will be inclined to stay with a known quantity, rather than taking the risk; this is just human nature. The goal of employement laws is to prevent the employer from abusing this power, in order to pervent a race to the bottom condition, much like the US had in the 1920's. Which would lead to civil unrest.
Re:cat "got" my tongue. (Score:3, Insightful)
The flaw in that logic is that anyone can get sick without warning. The idea of being poor but happy is a charming but dangerous little fantasy. At the end of the day you need to make sure you can live with yourself and don't hate every waking moment but the fact is most people go to a job to earn a living, and living involves unexpected costs sometimes.
EA owes them Re:cat "got" my tongue. (Score:1)
cat got my tongue? nope, just my paycheque. (Score:2, Interesting)
it's a mistake to hire all young people. (Score:1)
>>experiance so they end up with a large number of fresh grads working
>>for lower wages because they are still wet behind the ears.
while this is nice for the youngsters to "get their foot in the door", it is kind of is suspicious, don't you think? why do you think these fresh green pups had to work so many long hours? could it be inexperience?
on the other hand, I know this problem is not ALL fresh young pups... stupid
Re:it's a mistake to hire all young people. (Score:1)
or maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.
after all, I don't work there...
Re:cat "got" my tongue. (Score:2)
Re:cat "got" my tongue. (Score:2, Insightful)
Who is at fault, the dictator or the people who neither flee the country nor attempt a futile revolution?
Newsflash -- the powerful always oppress the weak, and sometimes the weak have no option but to bend over and take it. Those like you who stand on the sidelines and sneer at the weak for not being powerful can fuck off and die. The rest of us, we appreciate it when the legal system steps in to ensure that everybody rec
Re:cat "got" my tongue. (Score:1)
Re:cat "got" my tongue. (Score:1)
True.
"and make people slave because it's "cool" and people want to be in it. Sad really."
False.
Because game programming has non-monetary benefits, the employers can indeed pay lower and pressure for more hours. Did they truly MAKE them do it though? Of course not.
If you don't like the job, then the responsibility is YOURS to renegotiate or go elsewhere.
In this case it was "aggressive legal" negotiations. I think the progra
Re:cat "got" my tongue. (Score:1)
All that overtime ... (Score:2)
Re:All that overtime ... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:All that overtime ... (Score:3, Interesting)
Then they
Not despite, because (Score:2)
Now, when your creativity, imagination and illusion are shattered under hours of overtime, you start to hate what you used to love. You stop wanting to create a great game, you start wanting to get that damn thing outta the door and never see it again.
Re:Not despite, because (Score:1)
makes you wonder... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:makes you wonder... (Score:1)
Re:makes you wonder... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:makes you wonder... (Score:1)
Employment dates - take the number of working days the employee has been working (in EA's case, we're talking 7 days a week.) In this suit from 2/14/01 to 2/14/06, 260 weeks or 1826 days. This is the maximum that an employee with EA through that full term could achieve.
Overtime - Since everyone works different overti
Game coder was my dream job (Score:3, Interesting)
But I certainly don't want to see my creativity shattered under unbearable timetables. I don't mind doing overtime. Currently, an average work day is like 10-12 hours. 'cause it's fun.
Being FORCED to work 14 hours and more is by no means any kind of motivation. Actually, I'd probably start sabotaging my own work.
Re:Game coder was my dream job (Score:1)
Re:Game coder was my dream job (Score:2)
Re:Game coder was my dream job (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Game coder was my dream job (Score:2)
Re:Game coder was my dream job (Score:2)
Re:Game coder was my dream job (Score:2)
Re:Game coder was my dream job (Score:2)
What I don't understand is why they do that anyways?
Because they're incompetent.
Re:Game coder was my dream job (Score:2)
What I do expect, though, is that this isn't the norm. It's something that may happen. Ok. When it becomes the standard, it's time to turn around and go elsewhere.
A good coder finds a job. A bad one should look for something else anyway.
Re:Game coder was my dream job (Score:2)
I know the litany of excuses, I have used some myself. There is a comfort level even in the most i
Re:Game coder was my dream job (Score:2)
Also, getting a new job may be fine, but something you'll also have noticed is that hire and fire works at a LIFO principle: The newest guy is the first to go. When you've spent some time with a company, this offers you some kind of security. Some "padding" of newer guys that go first when the upper brass decides to "cut some slack" (ever noticed that it's never the real slack, i.e. managers, that gets
Re:Game coder was my dream job (Score:3, Informative)
Or they just stay because the've finally realized every employer is pretty much the same (and if you move too many times, you'll find that employers stop calling you back). Sort of a version of price fixing.
Did they lose, or settle? (Score:3, Interesting)
EA_spouse's spouse is one lucky man (Score:2)
Did EA change their practices? (Score:2, Interesting)
and, on a side note, I wonder how this affects (if at all) EA Canada.
Glad to see this (Score:2)
Of course, it helps that they were working in California, a state where workers have rights. A lot of studios seem to be moving to Austin and other Texas towns. They are moving here for the same reason Nike has its sweat shops
Re:Glad to see this (Score:1)