United Airlines Reaches Settlement In Skycap Tips Lawsuit
BOSTON (AP) — United Airlines has settled a lawsuit alleging that companies it contracted with to provide skycaps at airports around the country paid the workers less than minimum wage while not allowing them to keep all of their tips.
A federal judge approved a final settlement of $250,000 Tuesday. Under the settlement, 135 skycaps will receive an average of about $1,000 each, after attorney's fees. The amount given to each skycap will be proportionate to each worker's damages from October 2006 to August 2008.
That was the time when United, like other airlines, imposed a $2 fee for each bag checked curbside.
The skycaps were required to give the fee to the airlines. Their lawyers alleged that because some customers failed to pay the fee, the skycaps sometimes had to use their tip money to pay it.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
