Some Reportedly Sleeping On The Job At Liberty International Airport

The TSA has reportedly handed pink slips to eight of its employees at Liberty International Airport in Newark, NJ, for a variety of rules violations.

Some of the workers were allegedly videotaped sleeping on the job. Others allegedly violated rules dealing with SOPs involving checked baggage. TSA said the investigation is ongoing, and more workers could be let go or disciplined in other ways.

In a statement, TSA said that the agency  "holds all of its employees to the highest professional and ethical standards and has a zero tolerance for misconduct in the workplace. The decision to take disciplinary action, including the proposed immediate removal of eight individuals from the TSA reaffirms our strong commitment to ensure the safety of the traveling public and to hold all our employees to the highest standards of conduct and accountability."

Last year, TSA Administrator John Pistole created an Office of Professional Responsibility, which is charged with standardizing work rules and handing out disciplinary action in cases like this one.

This is the third incident in which TSA has found it necessary to let people go. Seven were fired earlier this month in connection with a bribery scandal at Philadelphia International Airport, and five were terminated in Fort Myers, FL, for failing to conduct random screenings in accordance with the agency's guidelines. Another 37 were disciplined in that case.

FMI: www.tsa.gov