WILLISTON, N.D. - John Ford lost his medical coverage unexpectedly in 2015 when his employer went bankrupt. It was a particularly bad piece of news since he was fighting cancer.
Ford worked for WCE Oil Field Services, which also stiffed 42 of his former colleagues for $750,000, according to the North Dakota Department of Labor. The Williston Herald reports they're going to get a significant chunk of that, and Ford is going to get a little help with his medical bills.
The deal announced Christmas Day was negotiated by the Laborers District Council of Minnesota and North Dakota and Minneapolis-based Laborers International Union of North America Local 563, even though the affected workers weren't union members.
Thanks to the donation from an anonymous "industry leader," each worker will receive $3,000 to $20,000.
