Oregon judge certifies class-action against Dell

The order signed July 10 by U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Coffin in Eugene covers Dell customer service employees in Oregon, Texas, Idaho, Tennessee and Oklahoma from February 8, 2004, to the present.

More than 80 people have already joined the lawsuit that could include as many as 5,000 current and former workers for the Round Rock, Texas, computer manufacturer.

The two Roseburg workers, David Norman and Walter Romas, claim in a lawsuit filed in February 2007 that Dell failed to pay overtime or keep accurate records.

Coffin said in his order that Norman and Romas "submitted evidence indicating a significant degree of commonality among the experiences" of Dell customer service workers.

Dell closed the Roseburg center last August, five years after it opened, laying off about 200 workers.

Dell spokesman David Frink said the closure was part of worldwide reductions announced in May 2007 and had nothing to do with the lawsuit.

Frink said Wednesday the company has since closed service centers in Ottawa and Texas.

He said the company does not comment on pending litigation but noted that Dell has said in its response to the lawsuit that the claims are inaccurate.