Starbucks Favors Younger Workers, Eliminates Those Over 40, New Class Action Claims

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Starbucks Age Discrimination Class Action Lawsuit Overview: 

• Who: Markel Oden has filed a class action lawsuit against Starbucks Corporation.
• Why: The plaintiff alleges Starbucks discriminates against older employees and favors those younger than age 40.
• Where: The lawsuit is pending in Georgia federal court. 

Starbucks’ culture and practices favor younger applicants at the expense of their older counterparts, a new class action lawsuit claims.

Lead plaintiff Markel Oden claims that individuals 40 years of age and older are rarely offered store manager positions, whether by application from persons outside the company or from internal applications from employees seeking promotion from within related to posted openings.

“Over the last five or more years, Starbucks has engaged in a targeted, systematic scheme to eliminate and terminate as many of its older workers as possible and become younger in its staffed workforce,” the class action lawsuit states.

Oden claims Starbucks has also terminated a high percentage of its older workers over the age of 40, as compared to its employees under 40, including many employees who had long-standing careers with the company and who did not have a history of written disciplinary action in an effort to obtain a younger workforce. 

Starbucks Worker Passed Over for Promotions, Terminated Without Warning, Claims Class Action

Oden, 59, says his superior, who is in her 30s, was promoted to district manager in 2019, after just 3 years as a store manager. He claims he was never given any opportunity to interview for the position when it was open—despite the fact that he had been a store manager for 3 years.

Oden was then terminated from his position in July 2021 without being formally written up or disciplined for any reasons, he says. He also says his last annual job review was excellent. However, he claims he was terminated without warning and without being offered an alternative of a lower-level position 

Starbucks also has been found to have had discriminatory employment practices toward African Americans, and even settled with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2021, according to the lawsuit. 

In recent years, Starbucks has been accused of depriving employment applicants of their right to correct or explain erroneous background check reports. 

The ubiquitous coffee company has also been accused of discriminating against hearing-impaired individuals at certain Starbucks locations. 

Are you a Starbucks employee aged 40 or older who feels the company has discriminated against you because of your age? Let us know in the comments! 

The plaintiff is represented by Mitchell L. Feldman, Esq. of Feldman Legal Group. 

The Starbucks Age Discrimination Class Action Lawsuit is Oden v. Starbucks Corporation, Case No. 1:21-cv-04869-AT-WEJ in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division.

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