/ Source: The Associated Press
A federal judge has approved Eastman Kodak Co.'s $21.4 million offer to settle class-action lawsuits by black employees who maintained white counterparts were favored for pay and promotion.
After almost seven years of litigation, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Feldman signed off on a deal Friday that pays $1,000 to $50,000 to about 3,000 current and past Kodak workers.
Kodak had been accused of paying black employees less than white co-workers, passing them over for promotions and maintaining a racially hostile work environment.
Some workers had objected to the settlement, so adjustments were negotiated. The decision ends a 2004 class-action lawsuit and a similar suit filed in 2007.
The photography products maker is based in Rochester, N.Y.
