Five part-time nurses are turning to the courts in an attempt to force the state to pay them overtime whenever they're mandated to pick up extra work due to emergencies or staffing shortages.

A prospective class action lawsuit filed Wednesday in Hartford Superior Court seeks to give part-time employees the same overtime pay benefits as full-time employees whenever they pick up mandated hours.

The part-time nurses, who work for the Department of Developmental Services, want double-time for extra hours they're mandated to work beyond what they are usually scheduled for.