In a major victory proving the efficacy of a rising wave of group efforts by workers to fight corporate corruption and injustices (see WIT for Aug. 8, 2002), a U.S. bankruptcy judge yesterday approved almost $29 million in additional severance pay fought for by former employees of the Enron Corporation (see WIT for June 12, 2002). The ruling will provide up to $13,500 in additional severance pay for workers laid off by Enron between its bankruptcy filing and the end of February, who were not included in a previous severance agreement covering only those workers laid off since February. Furthermore, the judge ruled that former Enron employees could challenge in court the over $80 million in bonuses paid to senior executives in the months before corporate accounting scandals led to the company?s bankruptcy filing (see WIT for March 11, 2002).
See JEFF ST. ONGE and DANIEL TAUB, Los Angeles Times, August 28, 2002