Policies That Are Only Available to Younger Employees May Be Illegal

The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently settled a lawsuit against Cedar Point amusement park in which the EEOC alleged that Cedar Point had discriminated against employees due to their age.  The EEOC's lawsuit alleged that Cedar Point provided its out-of-town seasonal employees with housing for far below market rate.  In 2021 and 2022, however, Cedar Point changed its policy and provided this housing only to employees (other than entertainers) who were below thirty years of age.  The EEOC's lawsuit further alleged that this policy prevented its older out-of-town employees from having the ability to renew their seasonal employment, because of economic barriers that this policy created.  This alleged conduct violates the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, which prohibits employers from implementing policies that discriminate against and disadvantage employees over the age of forty.  See EEOC v. Cedar Fair L.P., et al., Civil Action No. 3:23-cv-01843-JGC (N.D. Ohio).