Lawsuit Accuses CSC Of Requiring Unpaid OvertimeLawsuit Accuses CSC Of Requiring Unpaid Overtime

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses a Fortune 500 information technology company of forcing thousands of employees to work unpaid overtime.

Past overtime lawsuits have focused on service industry employees and targeted such giants as Wal-Mart and Taco Bell. But plaintiffs' attorney James Finberg said he believes the suit against Computer Sciences Corporation is the first of its kind in the computer industry. That could not be immediately verified.

"We're talking about tens and thousands of people across the country," Finberg said. "It's a big chunk of their work force."

Computer Sciences, based in El Segundo, Calif., has 92,000 employees.

"CSC has always strived to comply with all state and federal laws. Based on what we know at this time, we believe that we are compliant," company spokeswoman Janet Herin said. "We have not been served with this complaint, and have no further comment at this time."

Finberg said there is an overtime exemption for employees who develop software, but it doesn't apply to workers like the plaintiffs who install software and handle service calls. Former employees Fred Giannetto and James Doran alleged they worked up to 20 hours a week of unpaid overtime.

Attorneys will seek class-action status for the suit, Finberg said.

The company provides consulting, systems integration, and other services. It reported revenue of $13 billion in the fiscal year that ended Oct. 3.

On Tuesday, CSC reported a 16 percent increase in net income, helped by strong sales from government contracts. Its shares surged 8.3 percent, or $3.40, on Wednesday to close at $44.19 on the New York Stock Exchange following upgrades from Smith Barney and Credit Suisse First Boston.