EEOC: Honeywell Int. to Pay $2.15 Million in Age Discrimination Settlement

October 10, 2004

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has reportedly resolved a class action employment discrimination lawsuit against Morristown, N.J.-based Honeywell International, a global diversified technology company with more than 100,000 employees in 95 countries.

EEOC’s litigation alleged violations of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA) at the company’s headquarters and various regions nationwide by representatives of the former AlliedSignal Automotive Aftermarket (the makers of consumer car care items such as Prestone and Fram products), which Honeywell Inc. acquired during a 1999 merger.

According to EEOC’s suit, a class of sales managers and representatives were either terminated or demoted in 1997 because of their age during a companywide reorganization. Assertedly, in many instances, younger workers with less experience were retained and/or offered those positions. The suit was filed in federal district court in New Jersey by the agency’s Philadelphia District Office.

In the Consent Decree resolving the lawsuit, Honeywell denies any wrongdoing. Honeywell and EEOC entered into the agreement in order to reportedly avoid the time, expense and uncertainty of further litigation. Honeywell agrees to provide a total of $2,150,000 to resolve the lawsuit.

In addition, it agrees to post a notice concerning the lawsuit at appropriate facilities and to provide training in the provisions of the ADEA to all the managers and supervisors in the Consumer Products Group (CPG) and Frictions Materials (FM) businesses. The term of the decree is approximately two years.

“We hail the willingness of all the parties to work together to craft a thorough and effective resolution to this lawsuit,” said Jacqueline McNair, regional attorney of EEOC’s Philadelphia office, who is overseeing the case. “While a substantial amount of money will flow to those who stepped forward and filed charges with the Commission as well as to others affected by the pattern of alleged age discrimination, the training required by the Consent Decree is also noteworthy as it will benefit all Honeywell employees in the CPG and FM businesses.”

“The path to the resolution of this lawsuit is one EEOC would welcome other defendants to follow,” said Acting Supervisory Trial Attorney Mary Tiernan. “Early in the litigation process, the defendant expressed a willingness to discuss settlement of this complex case. Thereafter, the parties engaged in mediation and worked diligently to arrive at a resolution.”

The ADEA makes it illegal to deny a person any employment opportunity because of that person’s age (provided they are 40 or older).

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