Shaw's layoffs ruled discriminatory

[Sherman A1]

http://supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/shaws-layoffs-ruled-discriminatory

Shaw's Supermarkets’ move to lay off full-time workers in 2012 amounted to discrimination against company workers on the basis of their age, the Maine Human Rights Commission has ruled.

The commission, which heard complaints of three workers who were laid off by the chain in 2012, cleared the company of age discrimation based upon termination of the workers, but in a separate ruling found reasonable grounds to believe the policy that led to those terminations was discriminatory because it had a disparate effect on older workers.

The three workers who brought the complaint against Shaw's were each older than 55 and had worked for the company for more than 30 years, the Portland Press Herald reported. The three workers could seek to settle with Shaws, or file suit, the report said. In the latter case, as many as 60 other Maine residents who were also laid off by Shaw’s in 2012 could join the class.

A Shaws spokesman declined comment to SN about the matter. The layoffs occurred in 2012 when Shaws was under the ownership of Supervalu. Shaws has since been sold to Cerberus/Albertsons.