EA may face class action over unpaid overtime

Leading publisher Electronic Arts may face a class action lawsuit from its own employees over unpaid overtime, it has emerged today, with a Californian law firm currently seeking certification for the class suit.

Following on from the publication of a damning commentary on the company's employment practices - which are also widespread elsewhere in the industry - by the wife of a staff member earlier this week, an internal EA memo was forwarded to the media last night.

Although the authenticity of the memo has yet to be confirmed, the email - which was distributed in late summer to staff members - outlines the class action lawsuit, denies the claims of the suit, but informs employees that they are free to join the suit and will not be retaliated against if they choose to do so.

It's believed that the legal challenge is based on claims that EA improperly classified a number of its staff as being exempt from overtime under Californian employment law.

A report today on US website GameSpot confirmed the existence of the class action, quoting San Francisco lawyer Robert Schubert of Schubert and Reed LLP, the company taking the case.

"We are seeking unpaid overtime for a good number of [EA] employees who weren't [properly] paid," Schubert is quoted as telling the site. "EA contends they were exempt; we contend otherwise."

However, the class action has yet to be certified as a proper class yet by a Californian court, and Schubert admits that attempting to achieve this status will be a "big battle" - and until then, other employees cannot join the action, currently being taken in the name of EA designer Jamie Kirschenbaum.

You can read our comments on the wider issue of developer quality of life, which has once again become the focus of much discussion within the industry following the publication of the aforementioned journal entry, in this week's gi.biz comment column.