Meathead Movers officially settles age discrimination lawsuit
Meathead Movers has officially settled a lawsuit that alleged the Central Coast moving company engaged in hiring practices that discriminated against older workers — and at the same time quietly resolved a separate investigation alleging gender discrimination.
According to a news release from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission on Friday, Meathead Movers Inc. has officially agreed to pay up to $6 million as part of a settlement agreement.
The Tribune previously reported a settlement had been reached in September, but it was not made official until signed by U.S. District Court Judge Dale S. Fischer on Oct. 14.
According to the release, a lawsuit filed by the commission alleged that Meathead Movers “failed to recruit and to hire individuals over the age of 40 and advertised in a way to deter older workers from applying for positions.” The lawsuit further alleged that the company’s hiring criteria favored “very young workers.”
Meathead Movers CEO Aaron Steed has staunchly denied the claims, previously telling The Tribune there was “no evidence of discrimination.”
“I have no problem with someone over the age of 40 working for me,” he told The Tribune in May. “In fact, if someone over the age of 40 years old can work up to the Meathead Movers standard, and they are agreeable to getting paid what we pay, please apply. Please apply.”
Steed declined to comment on the recent settlement.
In its release, the EEOC said the settlement “also resolves a discrimination investigation on behalf of women who were segregated into packer positions and/or denied hire into mover positions.”
The agency did not provide further details on that investigation, and a request for comment from the agency went unreturned.
What were terms of Meathead Movers settlement?
As part of the settlement, Meathead Movers — which brands itself as “the largest independent moving company” in the state — agreed to establish a $4 million instatement fund “to hire workers covered under this consent decree into all open positions at Meathead,” according to court documents.
That fund would be set up through $1 million payments each year for four years.
The moving company also committed to paying a gross sum of up to $2 million into a class fund that would be used to pay people over the age of 40 who may have been adversely impacted by the company’s discrimination, as identified by the EEOC.
Depending on when the money is paid into the fund, the company could be required to pay as little as $1.39 million.
Any women or people over 40 who believe they may have been affected by the company’s hiring practices between 2017 and today can contact the EEOC to file a claim at meatheadlawsuit@eeoc.gov or by phone at 213-785-3088.
Meathead Movers also agreed to hire a third-party independent monitor to assist the company in complying with anti-discrimination legislation; to review its recruiting, marketing and discrimination policies and procedures; to provide training; to conduct audits; and to report “its efforts to ensure its workforce is open to all workers regardless of age and sex” to the EEOC.
“The Age Discrimination in Employment Act provides robust protections for older workers in not only recruitment and hiring, but in all aspects of employment,” EEOC Los Angeles district director Christine Park-Gonzalez said in the release. “We are pleased with Meathead Movers addressing their recruitment and hiring practices and encourage other employers to review their policies and practices to make sure they are in line with federal law.”
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