ARLINGTON, VA – Mark Goldstein, a 67-year-old Virginia man, has filed a lawsuit against Raytheon for age discrimination. Goldstein, a seasoned professional with 40 years of experience in project management, cybersecurity, and technology, alleges that Raytheon has been favoring recent college graduates over older workers in its hiring process. The AARP Foundation, representing Goldstein, filed the case in U.S. District Court, seeking to make it a class action lawsuit on behalf of other potential plaintiffs who may have faced similar discrimination.
According to the complaint, Raytheon, one of the nation’s largest defense contractors with 185,000 employees worldwide, allegedly uses language in its job listings such as “recent college graduate” or “new graduate” to attract younger applicants. The lawsuit claims that for certain positions in software engineering, mechanical engineering, and business, the company requires applicants to have a college degree and less than one or two years of work experience, effectively excluding older, more experienced workers like Goldstein.
Peter Romer-Friedman, a public interest lawyer representing Goldstein, stated that this lawsuit against Raytheon is just the beginning of a series of class-action suits that intend to address age discrimination in hiring practices across various companies. Romer-Friedman emphasized that federal law prohibits employers from discriminating against job applicants and employees who are 40 years or older based on their age.
Raytheon’s global head of talent acquisition, Steve Schultz, revealed in 2023 that recent college graduates make up a significant portion of the company’s recent hires, reflecting a trend in the industry. However, the lawsuit against Raytheon follows a 2021 finding by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which determined that the company’s practices of hiring recent college graduates violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967.
The complaint also alleges that Raytheon’s hiring practices violated the Massachusetts Fair Employment Practices Act, as the company recently moved its corporate headquarters from Waltham, Massachusetts, to Arlington, Virginia. William Rivera, senior vice president of litigation at the AARP Foundation, highlighted that many older workers face age discrimination, particularly in tech-related industries that prioritize younger, more agile employees.
Overall, the lawsuit against Raytheon sheds light on a broader issue of age discrimination in hiring practices, emphasizing the importance of fair and inclusive recruitment processes in the workforce. It remains to be seen how the courts will address the claims made by Goldstein and the AARP Foundation, potentially setting a precedent for future cases involving age discrimination in employment.
