Aug. 11--US Airways has fired 50 baggage handlers and cleared 21 others at Philadelphia International Airport in its investigation of a scheme in which workers allegedly used stolen computer passwords to seek overtime pay they didn't earn, the company said.
US Airways spokesman Philip Gee said in an e-mail message that the company had reviewed the payroll records of 123 ramp workers who load bags onto flights. In addition to the employees who were terminated or cleared, two others were suspended, Gee said.
The investigation is continuing for 50 other workers who haven't been fired, cleared or suspended, he said.
US Airways officials said this week that the scheme involved employees who learned the computer passwords of managers, and used them to get access to the company's timekeeping system for hours worked.
The employees involved made it appear that they had worked overtime when they had not, the officials said.
The airline has not determined how much it may have paid the employees, spokeswoman Andrea Rader said.
US Airways has 1,664 ramp workers at the airport after beefing up its workforce this spring in an effort to deal with high passenger volumes and attrition.
The airline's Philadelphia managers said they believe that, even if 100 or more employees were dismissed, baggage service would not be seriously affected, she said.
US Airways' Philadelphia ramp operations, where bags are loaded and airplanes serviced between flights, have been a trouble spot for years, characterized by poor labor-management relations and a tense atmosphere between older workers and new hires.
Contact staff writer Tom Belden
at 215-854-2454 or [email protected]
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