IBM Workers Lose Appeal Over Arbitrator’s Nix of Age Bias Claims

International Business Machines Corp. defeated two former employees’ attempt to undo confirmation of an arbitrator’s decision to reject their age discrimination claims as untimely.

The “piggybacking” or single-filing rule that is sometimes applied to excuse a worker suing for job bias from filing a pre-suit charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission doesn’t apply to claims pursued in arbitration, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said Friday.

The court said its version of the piggybacking rule is consistent with “the rule applied in most circuits” and is triggered to permit a party to join a lawsuit ...