Bellco Credit Union Agrees To Pay $57,250 To Settle EEOC Age Discrimination Lawsuit

Fired Teller Because of Age, Federal Agency Charged

DENVER – Bellco Credit Union has agreed to  pay $57,250 and furnish other relief to settle an age discrimination lawsuit  filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commis­sion (EEOC), the agency  announced today.

According to the EEOC's lawsuit, EEOC v. Bellco Credit Union, 06-cv-01883 CMA-MEH, a then 61-year-old  teller in Bellco's Harlan Branch in Westminster,  Colo., was fired in October 2003  because of her age.

In addition to the monetary settlement, Bellco, based in Greenwood Village, Colo.,  has agreed to post its anti-discrimination policy, provide training about  anti-discrimination laws to its employees and managers and make periodic  reports to the EEOC.

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) prohibits  employment discrimination because of age.  Employees and applicants 40 years of age and older are protected under  the ADEA. In 2008, 24,582 age discrimination  charges were received by the EEOC, representing a 28.7 percent increase over  2007.

"As the statistics show, age discrimination remains a serious  issue across the country," said Mary Jo O'Neill, Regional Attorney for the EEOC's  Phoenix District, which includes Colorado. "We applaud Bellco for working cooperatively  with us to bring this case to a close. The  EEOC's Denver Field Office and Bellco worked collaboratively to resolve this  matter amicably to the parties' mutual satisfaction."

Rayford Irvin, Acting Director of the EEOC's Phoenix  District Office, which includes responsibility for the EEOC Denver Field  Office, added, "The EEOC takes age discrimination, and all discrimination, very  seriously. In these economically  challenging times, fair treatment by employers is more important than ever."

The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws  prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available  on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

The EEOC's Denver Field Office, located at 303 East 17th Avenue, Suite 410,  in Denver, enforces federal anti-discrimination  laws in Colorado and Wyoming.