The largest phone company in the United States has been hit with yet another lawsuit, this time it's over discrimination of age against the company's employees that are over the age of 40.
Reuters reports that AT&T Inc. is in talks of settling the lawsuit that is almost a year old. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has proposed a settlement and both sides are set to meet for a mediation session on August 10 with further proceedings on September 6.
The EEOC lawsuit states that the Dallas-based AT&T company has a company policy that it will not rehire workers who have previously retired from the company. Employment lawyers have asserted that the company has not offered a "legitimate reason" for the policy and that most people affected by the rule are over the age of 40.
FindLaw states that the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prohibits employers with 20 or more employees from discriminating against applicants and employees that are 40 years of age and older based on their age. In the case with AT&T, the EEOC is asking that the company forbid discrimination against older employees and that the affected employees receive appropriate back wages. Reuters states that tens of thousands of workers can be affected by the settlement.
We're lucky to have federal laws that protect older workers from age discrimination. Anybody who believes that their rights in the workplace have been violated by ADEA should contact an experienced Houston employment lawyer to discuss their situation and make sure that their legal rights are protected.
Related Resources:
- Your Rights Against Age Discrimination (FindLaw)
- Find a Houston Employment Lawyer (FindLaw)
- Age Discrimination Facts (FindLaw)
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