News 12 at 6 o'clock, September 10, 2008

AUGUSTA, Ga.---Teleperformance came to Augusta bringing the promise of 300 new jobs and a professional working environment. Some employees are telling a much different story.

We spent the day going through pages of photos and email complaints about Teleperformance. It turns out that it's not just a local issue. There's a class action lawsuit against the company spanning 11 states including Georgia and South Carolina

Workers first told News 12 that the company was overstaffed...no calls coming in...a huge letdown. Some were sent home for up to 4 weeks.

Now we're learning employees have allegedly been demoted to part time and stripped of their benefits for failing to work 40 hours.

"I will say that most of that was on a voluntary basis," said site manager Shearice Hilton. "If that time was taken voluntarily then that may have been the case."

Wait...voluntarily? In a previous interview with Teleperformance we asked if people were sent home with mandatory time off. We asked, "Were they made to go home?" "There just weren't enough calls coming in," Shearice responded. "We just had to leverage staff so that every one had a chance to get the hours that they needed for the week," said Shearice. "People were handling the calls better than expected."

So was it voluntary or mandatory? Management tried to shift the focus. "If you're not here of course you're not going to get the hours and you're not gonna get the pay because for whatever reason you decided not to come to work," said Shearice. "Is this a case of disgruntled employee," we asked. "It could be because we have had those hard conversations and those meetings this week."

It seems Teleperformance workers across the country are fed up. They have filed a class action lawsuit for unpaid wages. If you think that stinks, just months after celebrating it's grand opening, News 12 obtained pictures of sewage back-up, exposed piping, and water damaged ceiling tiles.

Management says repair crews are on it. "I don't mind them coming out if they have to come out everyday until we get it taken care of," said Shearice.

Management tells News 12 that local business is doing well. They recently added unlimited over-time for workers. To find out more about that lawsuit visit www.tpclassaction.com.