EA Settles One Labor Dispute

Many sources are today reporting a settlement in the EA labor dispute, Jamie Kirshenbaum vs. Electronic Arts, Inc., which was filed in July 2004. EA has agreed to pay out $15.6 million to previous and current employees (and their lawyers) who claimed EA violated labor laws in refusing to pay them overtime. The settlement also reclassifies 200 entry-level artists as hourly workers, which will allow them to earn overtime.
The terms of the settlement must still be approved by the California Superior Court in San Mateo County, but are expected to be enough to clear the case from the court's docket. A similar lawsuit, filed in February by EA programmers, is still pending.