California’s technology industry has been around for a very long time, and now with the baby-boomer generation approaching retirement and the next generation passing 50, many in technology’s workforce are getting gray. However, as we all know, employers — especially the largest corporations — are less loyal to their longstanding employees than ever, and some are claiming that the biggest tech firms are promoting ageist hiring and firing policies.
There have been 90 reported age discrimination lawsuits filed against Silicon Valley companies over the last four years. Twenty-eight of them were filed since May 2013 against Hewlett-Packard. CiSco Systems has received 11 such suits, Apple has received nine and Google has received eight.
Most of the above claims mention wrongful termination due to age discrimination, but others mention hiring- or promotion-related discrimination. At this time, the plaintiffs’ names in the cases are being kept confidential.
It doesn’t appear that the lawsuits are coming as a surprise. As many analysts have noted, part of the problem is an aging workforce. There is also the fact that the last economic downturn diminished a lot of Americans’ retirement savings, and therefore, these Americans need to stay in the workforce longer. This last fact means that technology workers who lose their jobs simply because they have grey hair or were born before 1970 are suffering dearly, unfairly and also unlawfully.
If you or a family member suspect that you have lost your job because of age discrimination, help is available. An employment lawyer can assist you in filing an age discrimination claim to seek financial remuneration and justice for the harm it has caused your career and the financial welfare of your family.
Source: USA Today, “90 age-discrimination suits reflect growing issue for tech,” Jon Swartz, accessed Nov. 23, 2016
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