Schneider Electric Emails May Prove Ageist ‘Corporate Strategy’

A former Schneider Electric USA engineer has evidence his termination in a workforce reduction at age 54 was part of a “corporate strategy” to shed older workers and replace them with “young talent,” a divided Massachusetts Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.

A lower court therefore improperly granted summary judgment against Mark Adams, a 3-2 majority said, reviving Adam’s suit under state anti-bias law. Adams’ evidence includes “an email trail documenting that Schneider was so concerned about its ‘aging’ Boston work force” that it conducted a series of RIFs to clear out older employees “to make room to hire younger ones,” ...