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U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Youth at Work

Juanita recently graduated from high school and began work as a shift manager at a video store. She does not get along with Bill, a 55 year-old employee who works at the store part-time. At one meeting, she gave Bill a cane and walker as a joke. On another occasion, Juanita suggested Bill needed an afternoon nap because he was an "old geezer." After several months, Juanita decides to fire Bill because she wants to hire a younger employee who can relate better to the store's teen customers. Is this conduct illegal?

  1. Yes. Federal law protects workers age 40 or older from job discrimination and harassment based on their age.
  2. No. The federal age discrimination law does not apply to teen workers so it is not illegal for Juanita to fire Bill.
  3. Yes. However, Bill cannot file a job discrimination complaint with the EEOC because he was fired 90 days ago, and workers only have 30 days to file a complaint with the EEOC.
  4. No. Juanita did not discriminate against Bill because it is important for a video store to hire workers who are the same age as its customers.