Preference for younger workers

Image by JaymezB via Flickr

On the witness stand in Superior Court the other day, Barbara Jaeger denied that she prefers younger workers. But Jaeger, a lifer who worked her way up from news clerk to head features editor of The Record and Herald News, was contradicted by the evidence.

Over the years, she has had problems with such experienced newsroom employees as Trudy Walz, John Zeaman, Patricia Mack, Bob Dixon and Joe Diz. They and others left her department, including Joan Verdon. As a result, young Theoden and Amanda Janes came to work for Jaeger, replacing Joan and Trudy.

According to testimony in Sasson v. The Record, in a five-year period, Jaeger hired Bill Pitcher (replacing Mack), Marlaina Cockroft, Alfa Garcia, Robert Biesilin, Elisa Ung, Mike Kerwick and Terecille Basa-Ong, and Sachi Fujimori came into her department from the Herald News. All were in their 20s and 30s.

Yet, Jaeger denied in front of the jury that she prefers younger workers. Case law says an apparent preference for younger workers is circumstantial evidence of age discrimination. Pitcher was 31 when he got the food editor's job I had applied for.