compensation
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Tesla directors agree to return $735 million following claims they were massively overpaid
Elon Musk, Larry Ellison and other current and former members of Tesla's board of directors will return $735 million to settle claims that they massively overpaid themselves.
Amazon more than doubles base pay cap for corporate and tech employees
With the US labor market getting tighter and employees changing jobs or quitting in droves, Amazon has made a big move to become more competitive.
Meta hit with $3.2 billion class action suit over alleged exploitation of UK Facebook users
A legal expert has teamed with a litigation firm to sue Meta on behalf of 44 million Facebook users in the UK.
Uber offers 14 days of financial assistance to drivers with COVID-19
There have been a lot of questions about how so-called "gig" workers like Uber drivers will be affected by the coronavirus pandemic and what, if anything, companies will do to help. Today, Uber detailed its plan for compensating drivers if they are unable to work because of a COVID-19 diagnosis or a mandated quarantine. In either scenario, Uber will offer its drivers and delivery workers 14 days of financial assistance.
Apple ordered to pay employees for time lost to bag searches
Apple broke the law in California by failing to pay employees while they waited for mandatory bag and iPhone searches, the state's supreme court has ruled. The fight began over six years ago, when Apple Store employees sued the company, saying they were required to clock out before being searched for stolen merchandise or trade secrets. The workers felt they were still under Apple's control during that five to 20 minute process and should therefore be compensated. Apple in turn argued that the employees could choose not to bring their bags or iPhones, thus avoiding a search in the first place.
Facebook tries another pay-for-data market research app
Facebook is launching a new market research app to gather data from users' phones. The company wants to know which apps users have installed, the amount of time they spend on those apps and users' device and network types. In exchange, users will be compensated with an undisclosed amount of money. As you may remember, earlier this year, Facebook met criticism for secretly paying teenagers for access to their data. This appears to be the company's attempt at a new and improved market research app.
Samsung reaches final settlement with cancer-stricken employees
After 11 years of controversy, Samsung has apologized for creating an unsafe work environment that resulted in a number of former employees contracting leukemia and other cancers, according to the Associated Press. The company has vowed to compensate ill workers by 2028, per Reuters. The announcement comes weeks after Samsung reached a final settlement with Banolim, a group representing ex-Samsung workers and their families.
UK ISPs will automatically compensate customers for shoddy service
A poor level of customer service shown by your broadband or landline provider is like a late train. You know you could probably argue your way into some nominal refund, but it just seems more trouble than it's worth. The issue with that is there's no incentive to ensure the train runs on time, so earlier this year, Ofcom floated the idea that telecoms providers should compensate customers for poor service automatically, no complaints necessary. Today the regulator announced that BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Zen Internet -- which cover 90 percent of broadband and landline customers between them -- have "agreed" to be part of such a scheme.
BT fined £42 million for fudging late broadband payments
Ofcom's crackdown of BT and Openreach continues. The UK regulator has dealt the pair a £42 million fine for late broadband installations fitted on behalf of rival internet service providers, such as Sky and Virgin Media. Openreach handles the bulk of Britain's broadband infrastructure -- so to keep the market fair, it's legally obliged to set up new lines within 30 working days. Inevitably, Openreach encounters problems and occasionally can't meet that deadline. In exceptional circumstances, it can assume a contract extension by the ISP and reduce the compensation it would normally have to pay. However, Ofcom found that BT did this "retrospectively over a sustained period" to avoid fines. Tut-tut.
Ofcom proposes free cash for lengthy broadband outages
Under new proposals by Ofcom, Brits could soon receive automatic compensation for slow broadband repairs and missed engineer appointments. The measures are part of a larger crackdown on the UK's telephone and internet service providers. Openreach, the arm of BT that handles broadband infrastructure, was forced to become its own, "legally separate company" earlier this month. Now, Ofcom is effectively saying that it needs to do better than before, or face financial repercussions.
VW offers $1,000 in gift cards and vouchers to affected diesel owners
Volkwagen's attempt to compensate vehicle owners who drive one of the models included in the company's emissions scandal is now official. The initial reports were indeed correct, as the company will offer $1,000 in gift cards and other incentives to VW customers. On top of a $500 dealership credit, the 482,000 diesel owners will also receive a $500 Visa gift card that can be used anywhere and free roadside assistance for three years. Audi customers who drive affected vehicles will be privy to the same "goodwill package," too. Owners will have to visit a special website to request the items by entering their car's VIN number and mileage alongside their name and address. Volkwagen says those customers should receive the package in a month. The company is already offering $2,000 in trade-in credit, and with today's announcement, the total compensation for owners of vehicles included in the on-going saga can be worth up to $3,000.[Image credit: Getty Images]
VW will reportedly offer cash to cheated diesel car drivers
If you're feeling burned by Volkswagen's decision to cheat on diesel emissions tests, you might get some compensation for your troubles. Sources for The Truth About Cars understand that VW will launch a "TDI Goodwill Program" that compensates diesel car drivers with cash in the form of prepaid cards. In the US, you'd get both a $500 universal card as well as a VW-only card worth $500 to $750. The automaker isn't confirming details just yet, but it tells the New York Times that it's planning an announcement on Monday. Dealers also tell the newspaper that they're aware of a program in the works, although they don't know the specifics. It may not include the expanded range of cars reportedly tainted by the scandal, though, since VW is denying claims that it cheated with some models.
Food delivery apps face lawsuits over employee benefits
The fight over employee benefits when it comes to app-based on-demand services continues. The Chicago Tribune reports that food delivery companies GrubHub, DoorDash and Caviar were all hit with separate lawsuits in San Francisco this week. The suits allege that each failed to offer employee benefits after treating them like full-time workers. In other words, the companies misclassified employees as contractors. If that sounds familiar it's because Uber facing a similar lawsuit in San Francisco over its drivers. In fact, the same attorney that represents plaintiffs in proceedings with Uber and Lyft is working with the delivery drivers in these three new cases. Like Uber, the suits against GrubHub and DoorDash are class actions while the demand arbitration request with Caviar is on behalf of a single driver. Based on the filings, GrubHub allegedly treated its workers as employees but failing to offer proper benefits like reimbursements for gas, parking and phone data. It also allegedly failed to meet wage requirements and offer overtime pay. [Image credit: Jin Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Samsung agrees to compensation for employees that contracted cancer
After admitting that it didn't do enough to prevent illnesses and deaths of workers at its Korean semiconductor plants, Samsung has launched a new fund to put things right. Reuters reports that the company has set aside 100 billion won ($85.8 million) to compensate employees after it was revealed that hazardous working conditions had caused workers to contract leukemia and other incurable diseases.
World of Warcraft apologizes and compensates for Warlords of Draenor issues
Blizzard is so, so sorry for the expansion launch issues -- and it is trying to make things right. This is the word from World of Warcraft Executive Producer J. Allen Brack, who issued a public mea culpa on the forums for the problems with Warlords of Draenor's launch. "The quality of the content does not excuse the subpar launch experience we delivered, and I apologize for that," Brack wrote. He outlined the events and studio response over the past weekend, saying that the team is expanding its instancing tech to reduce queues on realms. To compensate players for their troubles, Brack said that Blizzard is giving five days of game time for all subscribers as of last Friday.
Judge: NCAA's likeness compensation rules violate antitrust laws
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken ruled yesterday that NCAA rules prohibiting student athletes from receiving compensation for the use of their images, names and likenesses violates antitrust laws, CBS Sports reported. NCAA rules do not allow colleges to pay athletes when their images are used in a video game series such as EA Sports' NCAA Football games, and Wilken said those rules "unreasonably restrain trade." Wilken is the same judge that ordered settlement talks between the NCAA and Ed O'Bannon in February, after EA agreed to settle its own likeness lawsuits with student athletes to the tune of $40 million in September 2013. EA canceled its next NCAA Football game at that time and began "evaluating [its] plan for the future of the franchise." The publisher later reported an additional $8 million in expected expenses as a result of the lawsuit settlement, which amounted to roughly $1,000 per athlete, per appearance in the games.
Samsung countersues Dyson over vacuum copycat claims (update)
Dyson's decision to sue Samsung over claims it copied its vacuum design looks like it's really starting to suck. Less than six months after it took action against the Korean company for allegedly infringing its patents, which it later dropped, Dyson now finds itself on the receiving end of a multi-million dollar countersuit. The Korea Times reports that Samsung isn't looking to prove the validity of its designs. Instead it's focusing on the resulting legal fallout: The company claims last year's litigation "hurt [its] corporate image" by labeling it as a serial copycat, so it's seeking 10 billion won ($9.43 million) compensation because it "negatively affected" Samsung as a brand. Dyson pulled its original claim after it found examples of prior art, allowing Samsung to take its stand against "patent trolls that use litigations as a marketing tool," and warn off other companies looking to take similar action. Strong words indeed, Dyson certainly won't want to let the dust settle on this case.
EA Ronku program pays YouTubers for game coverage, with rules
EA's Ronku program offers YouTube personalities extra cash for covering specific aspects of EA games, with rules regarding what the players can say or show on-camera. For the "Battlefield 4 Launch" Ronku assignment, YouTubers wouldn't receive compensation if they made "a video that focuses on glitches in the game," according to a document posted to NeoGAF. Compensation for the Battlefield 4 Launch assignment was $10 per CPM with a cap of 20 million views, or $200,000. "Through EA's Ronku program, some fans are compensated for the YouTube videos they create and share about our games," an EA spokesperson told The Verge. "The program requires that participants comply with FTC guidelines and identify when content is sponsored. User-generated videos are a valuable and unique aspect of how gamers share their experiences playing the games they love, and one that EA supports." Asked whether YouTubers openly disclose their participation in the Ronku program, the spokesperson said, "We explicitly state in the Terms & Conditions of the program that each video must comply with the FTC's Guidelines concerning Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising." The FTC's Guidelines on Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising, in PDF form here, offer examples of personalities who would have to disclose the compensation, and those who wouldn't. In Example 7 of § 255.5, disclosure of material connections, the FTC states that a blogger reviewing a game would have to share his connection to the company if he received that product for free. Microsoft also has a YouTube bonus program for presenting positive coverage of its products, which it calls "a typical marketing partnership."
Grand Theft Auto Online players start getting virtual payouts for their troubles
Rockstar promised that it would compensate GTA Online players for their service problems during October, and it's (somewhat belatedly) making good on its word. As expected, the developer has started paying these early adopters $500,000 each in virtual currency to keep them organizing heists and racing cars. All the handouts should wrap up within the next two days, Rockstar estimates. There should also be fewer hiccups in the future -- the company is already rolling out a fix that prevents cloud sync outages from erasing progress. GTAO members aren't entirely out of the woods, but the bonus cash may give them a good reason to stay in Los Santos.
City of Steam: Arkadia outlines compensation package
Last week, Mechanist Games assured that returning City of Steam players would be compensated as the company worked to restore fans' faith in the title. Today, the studio released the details of that compensation. For early supporters, the in-game currency will be refunded using the scheme that was utilized in alpha and beta: money's worth plus extra percent bonus. And for all players -- paid or not -- who reached at least level 30, the company is offering two tiers of welcome back packs, one for levels 30 through 37 and one for players who made it to level 38. Both packs include a large supply of vehicle parts, revamp kits, transmuter orbs, key bundles, cardiotonic, transmuter coolant, spiremarks, and more. Both packs also offer a Santa cap, and the level 38 pack includes an "awesome mega super dooper mystery item." Each account can claim one pack by contacting support. Full instructions and the contact information are available in the announcement.
