PORK PRODUCER PIGGISHLY FIRED EMPLOYEES BECAUSE THEY WERE 55 OR OLDER
In a press release dated May 17, 2024, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that it had filed a age discrimination lawsuit against Smithfield Foods, Inc., and Smithfield Fresh Meat Sales Corp. (collectively, “Smithfield Foods”), who allegedly fired employees because they were 55 or over.
Believing that such conduct by this pork processing company violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Smithfield Foods, Inc. and Smithfield Fresh Meats Sales Corporation, Case No. 1:24-CV-02158-TWT-CMS) in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief.
In a written statement, Marcus G. Keegan, Regional Attorney for the EEOC’s Atlanta District Office, noted that, “The ADEA clearly prohibits the termination of employees 40 and older because of their age …. Smithfield Foods violated that law when it discharged this employee as part of a reduction-in-force that disproportionately affected workers 55 and older. The company’s flimsy excuse for the termination because of the transfer makes clear the real reason: age discrimination.”
They’re all old enough to know better ….
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