He chose early retirement and threatened to sue the firm when it refused to pay severance.
The company agreed to pay severance and expenses incurred in the fight.
Baseball could refuse to pay severance, however, on the grounds that the action represented an illegal strike.
In Productopia's case, workers said the company had no money left to pay severance to its 70 employees.
This week, American announced it would not pay severance to the 20,000 workers it planned to let go.
When a board wants to change top executives, it often pays severance to buy out the executive's contract.
The company said it did not have enough money to pay them severance.
After its actions were disclosed, the company paid severance to many of the workers.
She also declined to say whether staff members, many of whom had been with the magazine for most of its life, would be paid severance.
And the company was known for laying off employees without warning and sometimes refusing to pay severance.