Job applicants will benefit from an $11.6 million settlement of PricewaterhouseCoopers to resolve claims of job discrimination by not hiring elder employees. The settlement terms will go to the advantage of consumers who applied for experienced associate, full-time associate, or senior associate positions in the Tax or Assurance service departments of the global audit firm between 18th October 2013 and 21st January 2020.
Settlement Website: PWCApplicantCase.com
Objection Deadline: 12/22/2020
Exclusion Deadline: 12/22/2020
Claim Form: https://www.pwcapplicantcase.com/admin/api/connectedapps.cms.extensions/asset?id=755781e7-6029-4dcc-8608-412580808f31&languageId=1033&inline=TRUE
Deadline For Submitting Claim Form: 09/10/2022
Final Hearing Date: 01/27/2021
Settlement Amount: $11.6 million
Potential Claim Amount: Variable
Proof of Purchase: Not applicable
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is an international tax and auditing company offering services to several industries. The company’s website mentions more than 295000 professionals as its employees spread across 156 countries. However, a class-action lawsuit has been filed alleging the company discriminated against older job applicants because of their age. The settlement includes approximately 5000 job applicants at the firm. This violated the federal Age Discrimination and Employment Act, California Fair Employment Act, and Michigan state laws as the company refused to hire associates above 40 years. PwC also resorted to questionable hiring practices like posting the job offers only through campus recruitment drives.
The class-action lawsuit also added that the PwC employees were forced to retire by the age of 60. As per the plaintiffs, PriceWaterhouseCoopers engaged in hiring and recruitment practices that led to a “stunningly low” number of older workers. They also pointed out that the average age of an accountant working at the firm was 27. This age contradicts the average age of auditors and accountants nationwide, 35% of whom are in their late 20s and early 30s. The company has agreed to pay $11.625 million as a part of the settlement despite not agreeing to the allegations. This comprises a reserve fund of $300000 which is going to compensate applicants who applied for jobs but weren’t hired during the class period. According to the settlement terms, class members will become eligible for cash payments based on their experiences. The payment disbursed to each member will be weighted depending on if the class member went for an in-person interview, their qualifications, and an array of other factors.
The settlement points out that default payments will be $200 but this might be increased depending on the above-mentioned factors. Class members are also eligible to receive payment from the reserve fund and these payments will be allocated like other payments. They are estimated to be up to $10000 based on the class members’ situations. Various non-monetary reliefs will also be offered by the settlement to prevent future discrimination against older job applicants. PwC has agreed to increase postings for two years by advertising to older applicants. The company has also agreed to hire an independent consultant who is going to propose recruitment ideas for older workers and train the company’s leadership in inclusive hiring practices. It won’t limit applications based on graduation dates or ask for the same. The point of age shall also be included in its non-discrimination policy and PwC will take every other measure to prevent discrimination. The firm will have two years to make necessary changes under the class action settlement.