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Pac Bell Sued Over Benefits: SBC Communications Inc.’s Pacific Bell subsidiary is being sued by a group of independent contractors and part-time workers seeking pension, welfare, overtime, vacation and other employee benefits. The group, representing more than 1,700 contractors and part-time workers for Pacific Bell, filed a class-action suit in federal court in San Francisco on Tuesday. The suit comes a week after a federal appellate court ruled that Microsoft Corp. may be forced to let thousands of contractors and part-time workers participate in its employee stock purchase plan. Pacific Bell spokesman Doug Michelman said the San Francisco-based company hadn’t seen the suit and was unable to comment on it. San Antonio-based SBC’s shares rose 56 cents to close at $51.25 on the NYSE.