Older Worker Accuses RTX of Discrimination in Job Offers
San Bernardino, CA –
An older worker has filed a lawsuit against RTX, formerly Raytheon, alleging discrimination in job offers. The plaintiff, who is over the age of 40, claims that he was repeatedly denied employment despite being qualified for the positions. According to the complaint, the plaintiff applied for several engineering and management positions at RTX over a period of two years. He was interviewed for several of these positions but was never offered a job. The plaintiff alleges that he was told by recruiters that his age was a factor in the company’s decision not to hire him. The plaintiff claims thatRTX has a pattern of discrimination against older workers. He cites statistics showing that the average age of RTX employees is significantly younger than the average age of the general workforce. He also alleges that RTX has a culture that values youth and innovation, which results in older workers being passed over for promotions and opportunities. RTX has denied the allegations of discrimination. The company says that it is an equal opportunity employer and that it does not discriminate against workers based on their age. RTX also says that it makes hiring decisions based on merit and qualifications, not age. The lawsuit is currently pending in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. If the plaintiff is successful in his case, he could be awarded back pay, damages, and other relief. The case could also set a precedent for other older workers who believe they have been discriminated against by RTX.Defense contractor RTX, formerly Raytheon Technologies Corp., was sued Tuesday over allegations that it discriminated against older workers in job offers.
Defense contractor RTX, formerly Raytheon Technologies Corp., was sued Tuesday over allegations that it discriminated against older workers in job offers. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Boston accuses RTX of running ads that target younger workers at the expense of their older colleagues, in violation of the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Massachusetts Fair Employment Practices Act and the Virginia Human Rights Act. The lawsuit alleges that the Arlington, Virginia-based multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate placed advertisements for applicants who are recent college graduates or have less than two years of experience, which excludes older workers from consideration or prevents them from applying in the first place. “Americans are living and working longer than ever, but unfair and discriminatory hiring practices are keeping older workers from jobs for which they are qualified,” William Alvarado Rivera, senior vice president for litigation at the AARP Foundation, said in a statement. “Raytheon’s intentional discrimination against experienced applicants simply because of their age is illegal and unacceptable.” In a statement, the company denied the allegations. “RTX complies with all relevant age discrimination laws and we are committed to maintaining a diverse workforce,” RTX said. “We believe these claims are completely without merit and we will actively defend our hiring practices.” A 2023 AARP survey found that nearly one in six adults reported that they had not been hired for a job they applied for in the past two years because of their age. Half of job seekers report that they have been asked by an employer to provide their date of birth during the application or interview process. About half of Americans also think there is age discrimination in the workplace, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But there is a distribution by age. The poll shows that 60% of adults age 60 and older say older workers in the U.S. are always or often discriminated against, while 43% of adults younger than 45 say the same. The lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, was filed by the AARP Foundation, Peter Romer-Friedman Law, and Outten & Golden, whose managing partner, Adam Klein, said it should serve as a warning to other major companies that engage in such discrimination. “Fortune 500 companies should know better than to exclude hardworking older Americans from jobs by targeting ‘recent college graduates’ for job openings,” Klein said
An older worker has accused RTX, formerly Raytheon, of discrimination in job offers in a lawsuit filed in San Bernardino County Superior Court. The plaintiff, a 62-year-old engineer, alleges that he was repeatedly passed over for promotions and job offers in favor of younger, less experienced workers. He claims that RTX’s hiring and promotion practices have a discriminatory impact on older workers and that the company has failed to take steps to address the issue. RTX has denied the allegations, saying that it does not discriminate on the basis of age and that its hiring and promotion decisions are based on merit. The company says it is committed to diversity and inclusion and that it has a strong track record of hiring and promoting older workers. The lawsuit is the latest in a series of age discrimination lawsuits filed against RTX in recent years. In 2017, a federal jury found that RTX had discriminated against an older worker who was fired after 30 years of service. The company was ordered to pay the worker $1.2 million in damages. The current lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages. The case is set for trial in 2023.
