Southwest Airline Workers’ Fingerprint Scan Claim Nixed

Southwest Airlines Co. workers’ challenge to workplace fingerprint scan rules is a labor dispute that must be settled in arbitration or through collective bargaining, a federal district court ruled.

Judge Marvin E. Aspen of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Aug. 23 granted the airline’s motion to dismiss claims of Southwest ramp agents and operation agents for alleged violations of the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.

Southwest Airlines employees at Chicago Midway International Airport are required to scan their fingerprints to clock in and out of work each day on a biometric timekeeping system, the court ...