Aerospace Parts Manufacturer Refused to Hire Older Applicant After Asking His Age, Federal Agency Charged
DETROIT – United Precision Products Co., Inc., a Michigan-based aerospace components manufacturer, will pay $60,000 and provide other relief to settle a federal age discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, United Precision Products violated federal law by refusing to hire an applicant because of his age. The then-64-year-old applicant applied through a staffing agency to be a machine operator. During a pre-employment interview, United Precision Products’ plant supervisor asked for the applicant’s age, date of high school graduation and driver’s license. Later, the plant supervisor told the staffing agency that the company was not going to hire the applicant because he did not have the desire for the job, the EEOC said.
Such alleged conduct violates the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), which prohibits covered employers from rejecting applicants because they are age 40 or older. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Michigan in Detroit (Case No. 2:20-cv-10930) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.
In addition to the monetary relief, the two-year consent decree resolving the suit provides for injunctive relief, training on the ADEA, reporting to the EEOC, and revisions to United Precision Products’ discrimination policy.
“The ADEA is clear — an employer cannot ask an applicant his age and then refuse to hire him because it learns he is any particular age,” said Dale Price, the EEOC attorney who handled the case. “The training, policy revision and reporting provisions under the consent decree provide meaningful protections for the employees of United Precision Products. With this resolution, the defendant has taken a positive step towards protecting the rights of older applicants and employees in the workplace.”
EEOC’s Detroit Field Office is part of the Indianapolis District Office, which oversees Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, and parts of Ohio.
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.
