CNN has agreed to shell out $76 million in a back pay case that involved union employees, making it the largest monetary settlement in the history of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
Variety reported that the labor dispute began in 2003 when the media company fired a group of unionized subcontractors working as technicians and in other support roles for Team Video Services before hiring non-union employees to replace those workers.
The action sparked a litigation war between the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians and Communications Workers of America that has lasted more than a decade.
More than 300 people will take part in the settlement. The NLRB, a federal agency that allows employees to unionize in the workplace, said in a statement that $76 million is more than what the agency typically sees in a back pay enforcement case.
“The settlement demonstrates the Board’s continued commitment to enforcing the law and ensuring employees who were treated unfairly obtain the monetary relief ordered by the Board,” general counsel Peter B. Robb said.
A spokesperson for CNN said in a statement it was “pleased” to have settled the case.
“After more than a decade of litigation, negotiation and appeals we are pleased to have resolved a longstanding legal matter,” a CNN representative said.
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