EEOC Sues Autokiniton for Sex, Disability, and Age Discrimination

DETROIT – Tower Automotive Operations USA I, LLC, doing business as Autokiniton, an auto parts manufacturer with a facility in Plymouth, Michigan, violated federal law when it refused to allow an older, female worker with a disability to re-enter its apprenticeship program, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

According to the lawsuit, the employee, who had over 30 years’ experience in automotive manufacturing, joined the manufacturer’s apprenticeship program in 2018 as the only female apprentice. She performed successfully, despite enduring sex and disability discrimination. The company perceived the employee as a liability, as she sometimes used a cane due to her disability, the EEOC’s suit said.

In March 2020, Autokiniton laid off its workers due to the pandemic. After the layoff, the company allowed men to resume their apprenticeships. It recalled the female employee, but refused allow her to re-enter the apprenticeship program, denying her a higher wage and opportunities for overtime. Instead, the company allowed three younger men to enter the program in 2022 as new apprentices. The company reinstated her as an apprentice in 2025, but then paid her a lower apprentice rate.

“Apprenticeship programs, like all employer-run programs, must be administered in a manner that does not violate federal anti-discrimination laws,” said Kenneth Bird, regional attorney for the Indianapolis District Office. “The EEOC will seek to enforce such laws against employers that treat employee-participants less favorably because of a protected characteristic.”

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Tower Automotive Operations USA I, LLC d/b/a Autokiniton, Case No. 2:25-cv-12926) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

For more information on sex discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sex-based-discrimination. For more information on disability discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination. For more information on age discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/age-discrimination.

The EEOC’s Indianapolis District Office has jurisdiction over Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and parts of Ohio.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.