The head of the Writers Guild of America East union blasted Paramount-owned CBS News for recent "cruel and needless layoffs," its firing of "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley and the shutdown of CBS News Radio.

Pelley’s ouster is the latest in a series controversies at CBS News since the network’s owners hired Bari Weiss to take over as Editor-in-Chief last year.

The long-time “60 Minutes” correspondent and former CBS anchor was fired on Tuesday after clashing with CBS News’ leadership over the firing of his colleagues.