Class action status has been granted to a lawsuit filed by two employees in 2007 against Dell by the federal court in Oregon. The decision means that 5,000 US employees in current and former Dell call centres in six offices - Oregon, Central Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Idaho - can jointly fight the suit.
The US magistrate judge, Thomas Coffin, granted the class action status to the employees, who charge that they were underpaid, at a federal court in Oregon. The class action allows a large number of people with a common interest in a matter to sue or be sued as a group.
The rule went in favour of the employees, who have been working for Dell since February 2004. Coffin has left room for the workers to re-file their participation in future federal proceedings.
The lawsuit was originally filed in 2007 by two of Dell’s Roseburg call centre employees, who alleged that Dell was depriving the consumer agents of their proper payment and was not paying them the correct overtime rates.
Since then, the employees have been constantly trying to get permission for a class action suit, with more than 80 people signing in favour of the action. The suit is expected to raise questions over Dell's treatment of 5,000 present and former employees, and even mentions a staffing agency that works closely with the company.
A similar suit was filed on April 1 at the US District Court for the Western District of Texas in Austin, alleging wrong treatment of corporate customers’ service agents.
A Dell spokesman declined to comment. X
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