Michigan Aerospace Parts Provider to Pay $60K to Settle Age Discrimination Suit

A Michigan-based aerospace components manufacturer will pay $60,000 and provide other relief to settle a federal age discrimination lawsuit, officials say.

According to the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), United Precision Products Co. Inc., based in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, 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.

Source: EEOC