Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) has been sued in a class-action suit by its tech support employee, alleging the company denied them overtime pay. The case, filed in United States District Court in San Francisco, California, was titled Benedict v. Hewlett-Packard Company, Case No. 13-0119.
Eric Benedict, the plaintiff, claims that the workers were intentionally made unqualified for the extra pay, many of whom worked at the companies acquired the PC maker, like Autonomy, Palm, Electronic Data Systems, 3Com, ArcSight, and 3PAR, according to Benedict’s lawyers.
“HP’s success and substantial revenue come[s] from the hard work and long hours of its technical support workers, who keep information technology infrastructure up and running,” stated the plaintiff, Eric Benedict. “HP should not be allowed to underpay these workers in violation of the law.”
The plaintiff’s counsel, Jahan Sagafi, noted, “This lawsuit seeks fair compensation for the thousands of Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) technical workers who form the backbone of the company. Their tireless overtime work, which we allege has been unpaid, has helped fuel HP’s success.”
The PC maker’s technical support workers, who install, maintain, and/or support computer software and hardware; working as Technical Support Engineers, Technical Solutions Consultants, Technical Support Engineers, Technical Solutions Representatives, and many others, were among the group unlawfully denied overtime pay, claims the lawsuit.
A video posted on YouTube provides some details of the case. Also, HP’s current and former employees, who are working/worked on hardware or software installation, maintenance, or support work, and want to support the case, can share their experiences by visiting www.HPOTpay.com.
Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) told businessinsider, “We’re reviewing the complaint but have no further comment at this time.”
About the Law Firms:
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, with offices in San Francisco, New York, and Nashville has more than sixty employees and has been in business since 1972. Lieff Cabraser’s portfolio includes representing employees seeking overtime pay. Since 2003, Lieff Cabraser has been among the top plaintiffs’ law firms in the nation, on the list of National Law Journal. Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP, became popular with a similar case involving International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM), which was settled for $65 million.
Outten & Golden LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, and Stamford, CT, is a thirty-plus attorney firm. O&G has been a party in a wide variety of employment law matters.