U.S. Judge OKs Enron Severance Package
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).