In a move aimed at shoring up the morale of its remaining workers, bankrupt telecom WorldCom Inc. won court permission Tuesday to hand $36 million in severance payments to laid-off employees. The ruling, in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan, also allows WorldCom to retract $1.4 million in severance payments promised to 19 laid-off company executives before the company filed for bankruptcy in July as a multibillion dollar accounting scandal unwound. In lieu of the lucrative settlements, the 19 will receive the same package as the rank-and-file workers: up to 26 weeks of salary and benefits. The decision allows each of...