New England Biz Law Update
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed suit against an auto parts manufacturer, asserting that it violated federal law when it refused to allow an older, female worker with a disability to re-enter its apprenticeship program.
According to the lawsuit, the employee, who had over 30 years’ experience in automotive manufacturing, joined the manufacturer’s apprenticeship program in 2018 as the only female apprentice. She performed successfully, despite enduring sex and disability discrimination.
The company perceived the employee as a liability, as she sometimes used a cane due to her disability, the EEOC’s suit said.
According to the lawsuit, in March 2020 the company laid off its workers due to the pandemic. After the layoff, the company allowed men to resume their apprenticeships. It recalled the female employee, but refused allow her to re-enter the apprenticeship program, denying her a higher wage and opportunities for overtime. Instead, the company allowed three younger men to enter the program in 2022 as new apprentices. The company reinstated the employee as an apprentice in 2025 but then paid her a lower apprentice rate.
Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the lawsuit said.
The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.
