EEOC Files Suit over Termination Agreement Language

September 26, 2006 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit in US District Court in Minneapolis accusing Land O' Lakes of retaliatory language in agreements with terminated workers.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Star Tribune reports that the company required terminated workers to sign an agreement saying they had not filed and would not file a complaint with the EEOC, according to the suit. The agreement said they would be denied separation payments and benefits if they did file a complaint.

The suit said the agreement has been used throughout Land O’ Lakes nationwide operations since at least 2004, according to the Star Tribune. The suit said the practice violates the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act.

The EEOC is asking for a permanent injunction to stop the practice. It is also asking that the company be required to notify former employees of a revised separation agreement and make whole any employee who was affected by the agreement.

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