3M reaches settlement in age discrimination lawsuit
by Martin Moylan, Minnesota Public RadioSt. Paul, Minn. — 3M says it has reached a settlement agreement in an age discrimination lawsuit brought by employees. The company is now seeking court approval of the deal.
The suit was filed in December 2004, and alleges 3M discriminated against current and former Minnesota employees over the age of 46.
Under terms of the settlement agreement, 3M will pay up to $12 million to resolve the claims of all of the some 7,000 employees covered by the lawsuit.
That would work out to an average of about $1,700 per employee.
"We believe the proposed settlement agreement provides a reasonable resolution that allows us to focus on business and serving our customers," said Donna Fleming Runyon, a 3M spokeswoman.
Employees charged 3M set quotas for how many employees could be judged average, superior or poor performers. They alleged a disproportionate number of older workers were ranked below average.
3M isn't admitting any guilt or liability. The company insists its human resources practices are fair.
