Older worker accuses defense contractor of discriminating by seeking recent college grads
A defense contractor is being sued over allegations that it discriminated against older workers in job ads
BOSTON — A major defense contractor was sued Tuesday over allegations that it discriminated against older workers in job ads.
The class action filed in federal court in Boston accuses RTX Corporation of posting ads that target younger workers at the expense of their older peers in violation of the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Massachusetts Fair Employment Practices Act, and the Virginia Human Rights Act.
RTX, formerly Raytheon Technologies Corporation, is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. The lawsuit alleges it posted ads seeking job applicants who are recent graduates or have less than two years' experience, which excluded older workers from consideration or deterred them from applying in the first place.
The lawsuit challenges a practice that is widespread among U.S. employers, even those facing a shortages of workers.
“Americans are living and working longer than ever, yet unfair and discriminatory hiring practices are keeping older workers from jobs they’re qualified for,” the AARP Foundation's senior vice president for litigation, William Alvarado Rivera, said in a statement. “Raytheon’s intentional discrimination against experienced job candidates, simply because of their age, is illegal and unacceptable.”
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A 2023 AARP survey found that nearly one in six adults reported they were not hired for a job they applied for within the past two years because of their age. Half of job seekers reported they were asked by an employer to produce provide their birthdate
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