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Press Release |
| Mark Butler | Commissioner | Office of Communications |
| Suite 642 148 Andrew Young International Blvd., NE Atlanta, GA 30303-1751 |
(404) 232-3685 |
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August 29, 2022 Georgia Department of Labor and SPLC Agree to Move Forward with Preliminary Settlement Agreement ATLANTA – Today, the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) agreed to withdraw its emergency motion to withdraw consent to the preliminary approval and proceed with the preliminary settlement agreement with a class represented by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the law firm of Bondurant, Mixson, & Elmore. Immediately after the hearing in which the Court announced that it would preliminarily approve the settlement, Class Counsel issued a unilateral press release announcing the settlement agreement to the public. Defendants believed the press release was inconsistent with the terms of the settlement agreement. Defendants further believed that Class Counsel’s press release was interpreted by many to be a rebuke of the Department and its employees, who worked diligently throughout the pandemic to process claims. Class Counsel never intended to rebuke the Department of Labor and its employees in their press release. Class Counsel acknowledges the hard work done by the Department’s employees during the COVID-19 Pandemic and the willingness of the Department to work together in designing the relief included in this settlement agreement. Going forward, counsel for both parties have agreed to provide a courtesy copy to the other at least twenty-four hours in advance of issuing any unilateral press release or official communication to the public related to this class action lawsuit. “This agreement is symbolic of the cooperation of both parties working together to create solutions for Georgians,” said Labor Commissioner Mark Butler. “Taking into consideration the fact that in order to implement the new Cares Act federal programs, we had to build six different systems with multiple extensions and enhancements from scratch within weeks to pay new and never before attempted unemployment benefits, GDOL did an amazing job. The heroic efforts of GDOL employees enabled us to pay over $23 Billion to over 2 million Georgians. The enhancements in the agreement highlight the hard work and innovations that the department already had underway and some of the most recent completed plans for improved communication.” Specifically, the terms of the settlement agreement included department projects already in progress and some additional enhancements that were designed in discussions with Class Counsel. “The winners of this settlement are the people of Georgia,” said Kirsten Anderson, the deputy legal director for the economic justice project at SPLC. “The COVID pandemic presented enormous and unprecedented challenges for the Georgia Department of Labor. The improvements in this Settlement will upgrade the experience for claimants while keeping them better informed on what is happening with their claim.” Both parties agree that adequate funding going forward is crucial for the Department to continue its momentum in improving systems and communications. The state funding the Department relies on comes from the Administrative Assessment it collects from employers. This funding source is set to expire at the end of this year, which will result in a $10 to $20 million loss of funding to the Department. Both parties are calling for the Georgia General Assembly to reinstate the Administrative Assessment as soon as possible. A copy of the Settlement Agreement is available on the Georgia Department of Labor website: https://dol.georgia.gov/notice-class-action-settlement-and-hearing. Additional information is also available from the Southern Poverty Law Center at https://www.splcenter.org/settlement-georgia-department-labor-unemployment-insurance. ### |