Age Discrimination More Prevalent

Washington, DC: (Apr-07-08) The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) brought a lawsuit against defense giant Lockheed Martin Corporation, alleging that the company discriminated against eight of its employees on the basis of their age. The suit claimed that the alleged discrimination took place in 2000, at Lockheed's COMSAT Mobile Communications division, when the plaintiffs, who were between 47 and 65 years old at the time, were fired during a work force reduction.

Records show that Bethesda-based Lockheed paid $131,000 to two employees in 2007, in a retaliation case, when their severance was withheld because they pursued discrimination complaints. EEOC officials stated that older workers represent a growing segment of the population and employers should not judge them according to age-based myths and stereotypes. Federal law mandates that it is an offense to discriminate based on age, race and national origin. EEOC says it received 19,103 age discrimination complaints last year, up 15% from fiscal 2006, the biggest annual increase in age discrimination complaints in five years.

As part of a settlement reached, Lockheed agreed to a $773,000 payout to resolve the age discrimination suit. The suit was brought by the commission on behalf of the eight, after the two sides failed to reach a voluntary settlement. [WASHINGTON BUSINESS JOURNAL: LOCKHEED SETTLES AGE DISCRIMINATION SUIT FOR $773,000]