Any person who is given a first right of hire by section 2072, who is deprived of that right by the action or inaction of the new operator of the rail line, shall have a cause of action against the new operator to enforce the right of hire guarantee by this Act, and may bring such an action in the Superior Court seeking an order for damages and requiring that the complainant be hired. Any person whose rights under this Act are found to have been violated by the new operator shall receive as damages an award of back pay from the date the person should have been hired until the date actually hired or until the claimant declines a bona fide offer of employment, plus attorneys fees and all other reasonable costs of litigation. If it is shown that the new operator willfully failed to comply with section 2072, in whole or in part, for a reason which is contrary to state or federal law, the complainant shall receive an award of treble damages without any reduction for outside earnings or unemployment benefits. [PL 1987, c. 327 (NEW).]