For more stories like this, sign up for the PLANSPONSOR NEWSDash daily newsletter.
Benefits August 31, 2011
American Samoa Accused of Forcing out Older Workers
August 31, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced it filed a lawsuit charging the government of American Samoa discriminated against a class of older workers due to their age.
Reported by Tara Cantore
According to a news release from the EEOC, the American Samoa government initiated a campaign in the U.S. territory to remove older employees from the government workforce in order to open up positions for younger people who are seeking employment. The EEOC alleges specifically that the director of human resources executed plans in 2009 to remove older staff by involuntarily reassigning employees over the age of 50 into undesirable positions. The EEOC asserts the reassignments were designed to pressure older workers to retire or resign.
The agency seeks relief on behalf of a class of workers over the age of 40 who may have been reassigned, subjected to different terms and conditions of employment, and/or constructively discharged due to their age.