Station Shells Out Nearly $900K to Settle Wage-Theft Suit Against News Staffers

San Francisco public broadcaster KQED is reaching for its checkbook to resolve claims that it shortchanged its workforce.

The station has agreed to a nearly $900,000 class-action settlement to resolve allegations of wage theft, unpaid overtime, and labor violations brought by news employees.

Filed initially in January 2024 by former nonexempt employee Dominic Dulaney, the lawsuit accused the prominent media outlet of a pattern and practice of failing to pay for all hours worked, skipping required meal and rest breaks, issuing inaccurate wage statements, and withholding final pay.

While management officially denied any wrongdoing, station spokespeople admitted they caved to a settlement simply to dodge the mounting legal fees and distraction of a drawn-out trial.

The payout will cover more than 580 hourly workers employed by the station between August 2019 and May 2025. Another PR black eye for public broadcasting at a time when newsrooms across the country are already fighting hard just to keep the lights on.