The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a lawsuit against the American Samoa Government charging that it discriminates against a class of older workers due to their age.
The Commission says the territorial government initiated a campaign to remove older employees from its workforce in order to open up positions for younger people.
It says the Human Resources Department director executed plans in 2009 to remove the older staff by reassigning them against their wishes.
The Commission asserts the reassignments were designed to pressure older workers to retire or resign.
An official at the Commission's Los Angeles office, Olophius Perry, says pressuring older employees to leave is a form of age discrimination that is not only illegal but also undermines the value of those who often have a wealth of experience.
