Railroad Reaches Settlement in Age Discrimination Suit

October 7, 2005 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Norfolk Southern Railway has agreed to a settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in an age discrimination suit.

The St. Louis Business Journal reports that the EEOC sued the Virginia-based railway in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri for allegedly failing to hire Arthur Barrett because of his age. Barrett, a conductor trainee in Moberly, Missouri, applied for a job with the railway in 1999 and was passed over for younger applicants with equal or lesser qualifications, according to the Journal. Barrett is now 51.

In the settlement, Norfolk Southern agreed to pay Barrett back pay of $20,509 and adjust his seniority date to the date he should have been hired. The Journal reports that The United Telecommunications Union also agreed to the adjustment.

Norfolk Southern breached a previous settlement agreement with Barrett that said they would give him back pay and the next conductor trainee position in Moberly. The Journal reports that the railway hired at least one conductor trainee in Moberly before hiring Barrett.

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