A woman was fired from a company after refusing to retire at age 65. However, she now has to be compensated with $105,000.
This happened to a former employee of J&M Industries, Inc, an American company based in Louisiana, which was sued for age discrimination.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said the woman was nearing her 65th birthday and her supervisors had asked her several times about her retirement.
But she always told them that she had no intention of stopping work at that moment. In this way, the employee was dismissed from the company; who argued that his position would be eliminated due to economic uncertainties.
However, a 39-year-old man joined the company to perform the same role as the woman.
“Less than a month after the employee was fired, the company hired a man in his 30s as a new buyer; the same position the company claimed to have eliminated,” officials said.
The company violated a law
The EEOC said in a statement that J&M Industries denied firing the employee because of her age. In addition, he hired the replacement because it had “more comprehensive and significant functions.”
In this way, the lawsuit against the company for violating a labor law that prohibits discrimination in the workplace against people aged 40 and over should be resolved.
Ultimately, the company accepted a settlement with the EEOC and must pay the former employee $105,000 in wages and compensation.
In addition, the company promised to review its internal policies and submit reports to the federal agency.
The story sparked a whole debate between those who were for and against women. On the one hand, many demanded that the employee accept retirement in order to hand over the job to a younger person; while others defended her and ensured that she had every right to continue working.
You might be interested in: