JPL Hit With $10 Million Fine For Systematic Age Discrimination
Jet Propulsion Laboratory to Pay $10 Million to Settle EEOC Age Discrimination Lawsuit, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
“The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today the settlement of an age discrimination lawsuit against Pasadena, Calif.-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The laboratory has agreed to pay $10 million, along with injunctive relief, in order to reach an early resolution of the suit. According to the EEOC, JPL systemically laid off employees over the age of 40 in favor of retaining younger employees. The complaint also alleges that older employees were passed over for rehire in favor of less qualified, younger employees. Such conduct violates the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (EEOC v. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 2:20-cv-03131-CBM-JC) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation agreement through its conciliation process. In addition to monetary relief to dozens of older employees, the three-year consent decree settling the suit, which remains under the court’s jurisdiction during the term, includes injunctive relief intended to prevent further workplace discrimination.”
JPL Will Pay $10 Million Fine For Age Bias Toward Employees, earlier post
Good on JPL for reaching a settlement rather than continuing to fight the charges. But unfortunate that the penalty is so small. Then again, JPL would probably just increase their already astronomically high overhead to cover it.
Organizations and people must be immediately held accountable for bad, discriminatory behaviors. Regarding age, this will become even more relevant over the next 40 years as our population curve leans toward older workers. No one wants to be discarded, or have a lifetime of experience neglected and unused. No one wants to look forward to such a fate later in life. Live Long and Prosper.
The systematic discrimination has become routine, even prevalent at some NASA centers. The manager’s responsible have been promoted to the highest ranks. The money does not go to those injured by the discrimination in the Federal government.
In 1989, at age 47, I was among 3500 laid off by a major aerospace contractor. Although they didn’t come right out and admit it, they were hiring young college grads, who could be paid a lot less! They were, in fact, mostly bright, educated people. But they had no experience. The company (whose business was mostly NASA or military) didn’t keep any of us old codgers around, even temporarily to train these novices.
And they wondered why they had stuff falling out of the sky in flaming pieces or crashing on some planet instead of orbiting! (:-(
Numerous folks in my extended family have been shown the door similarly across many fields. Old folks cost too much to keep around, so…