SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Latest on Google employee walkout (all times local):

12:45 p.m.

About 1,000 Google workers in San Francisco have swarmed into a plaza in front of the city's historic Ferry Building.

It's part of a worldwide protest employees are staging to complain about Google's handling of sexual-misconduct claims. Other Google protests took place in London, New York and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The crowd in San Francisco repeatedly chanted, "Women's rights are workers' rights!" as the half-hour rally began to wrap up.

Protest organizers are calling for an end to forced arbitration in cases of harassment and discrimination. They also want Google to commit to ending pay inequity.

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8:40 a.m.

Hundreds of Google employees in New York are walking off the job and gathering at a nearby park. It's part of a worldwide protest employees are staging to complain about Google's handling of sexual-misconduct claims.

Signs they are carrying have such messages as "Don't Be Evil" and "Not OK Google."

Designer Leeung Li Jo says she wants to show support for the "MeToo" movement "so we can have a comfortable working environment."

The organizers are calling for an end to forced arbitration in cases of harassment and discrimination.

A week ago, a New York Times story detailed allegations of sexual misconduct against the creator of Google's Android software, Andy Rubin. The report said Rubin received a $90 million severance package in 2014 even though Google thought the allegations were credible. Rubin has denied the allegations.

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8 a.m.

Google workers walking out of their jobs over the company's handling of sexual-misconduct claims are sharing a list of demands.

The organizers are calling for an end to forced arbitration in cases of harassment and discrimination.

They also want Google to commit to ending pay inequity and to create a publicly disclosed sexual harassment transparency report and a clearer process for reporting complaints.

Hundreds of Google engineers and other employees began walking out of their offices Thursday morning starting in Asia and Europe.

The protests are set to continue in U.S. offices after 11 a.m. local time in each location.

The organizers say Google has publicly championed diversity and inclusion but hasn't done enough substantive actions.

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Wednesday 10 p.m.

Hundreds of Google engineers and other workers are expected to walk off the job Thursday morning to protest the internet company's lenient treatment of executives accused of sexual misconduct.

It is the latest expression of a backlash against men's exploitation of female subordinates in a business, entertainment and politics. In Silicon Valley, women also are becoming fed up with the male-dominated composition of the technology industry's workforce — a glaring imbalance that critics say fosters unsavory behavior.

A week ago, a New York Times story detailed allegations of sexual misconduct against the creator of Google's Android software, Andy Rubin. The report said Rubin received a $90 million severance package in 2014 even though Google thought the allegations were credible. Rubin has denied the allegations.

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