L.A. age discrimination

Young Employees Are Great; Age Discrimination is Not

June 4, 2018 | by Nassiri Law

Employers often want to position their companies as a place that the next generation of workers will thrive and feel welcome. However, it’s crucial that in doing so, they are not committing age discrimination.

An Orlando-based national restaurant chain learned this lesson the hard way after settling an age discrimination lawsuit brought on by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for $2.85 million. According to a Newsweek report, about 135 applicants alleged they were asked their age during interviews and that interviewers made age-related comments. They claimed they were then denied employment because of their ages.

Managers at Seasons 52, part of the Darden family of restaurants, allegedly made comments to applicants age 40 or older that they were “Looking for someone younger,” or that “Seasons 52 girls are younger and fresh.” The lawsuit covered 35 restaurants across the nation, including California. In addition to pointed questions about age, EEOC claimed the chain also hired people 40 and older at a significantly lower rate than younger applicants, even for back-of-house positions.

Investigation Reveals Age Discrimination in Job Ads on Facebook

January 10, 2018 | by Nassiri Law

It may be a brave new world when it comes to technology and communications, but some companies might be up to the same old tricks when it comes to age discrimination.

According to an investigation by ProPublica and The New York Times, dozens of top U.S. employers have been restricting the age group that can see recruitment ads posted on Facebook. These employers include business giants Verizon, Target, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, UPS, State Farm, and even Facebook.

These ads have spurred a class-action complaint recently filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of the Communications Workers of America. Also included in the plaintiffs are all Facebook users 40 years of age and older, who might have lost job opportunities due to advertising restrictions based on age.

Facebook allows options to target specific demographics so advertisements can reach the most relevant audience possible. Filters include location, interests, sex, and age. Ads cost more the broader the audience and the more people they reach, so it benefits an advertiser to find a very specific niche.

This is fantastic for a retailer selling men’s tennis shoes or a community promoting a local seniors’ retreat. But it might spell big trouble for employers who use these restrictions to limit the age of the audience that can see job ads posted on the platform. Continue Reading ›

AARP Sues EEOC Over Worker Wellness Programs

December 11, 2016 | by Nassiri Law

The AARP, a consumer advocacy group that focuses on the rights and well-being of older people, has filed a lawsuit alleging employee wellness programs may violate workers’ rights and be used to violate anti-age discrimination laws.

Named as a defendant in the lawsuit is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) which recently released a new rule on employer wellness programs as they relate to Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

For those who may not be familiar, employee wellness programs involve companies extending major financial incentives to workers who sign up as an effort to improve their health, often through weight loss, smoking cessation and exercise programs. Workers save on health costs and companies get to help lower their long-term insurance premiums. The problem, says the AARP, is that a lot of the health-related programs and activities involve assessments of medically-sensitive information about workers, such as the results of biometric screening, which is then often passed on to the company. Continue Reading ›