Ex-Midway Workers to Get Bankruptcy Payments

Midway went under in April 2002, after posting significant losses when the 9/11 terrorist attacks and a sluggish economy cut into its market for business travelers.

The state Department of Labor has been working with the bankruptcy trustee to verify the names, addresses and Social Security numbers of former ramp workers, flight attendants, mechanics and other employees. Information has been verified for 510 of the 754 former employees with claims against the airline, officials said.

Former Midway pilots were represented by the Air Line Pilots Association in their bankruptcy claims.

“Sometimes, letters like this are thrown in the trash because people think it is junk mail or some type of scam,” Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry said in a statement. “If you are a former Midway employee and received a letter from (Labor Department) regarding this claim, make sure you call our office to verify your contact information.”

The bankruptcy trustee is expected to begin disbursement in April.

Employees who fail to respond to letters sent by the Labor Department in recent months may be considered “missing” by the trustee, and their portion of the disbursement will be transferred to the State Treasurer’s Unclaimed Property and Escheats Division.

“This is our last attempt to notify the workers. Some of them have moved several times by now and have endured financial hardships,” Berry said. “We’re doing everything we can to find them, and bring this matter to a close.”