Meathead Movers sued over age discrimination after touting 'student-athlete' workers

The Biden administration’s employment discrimination watchdog is suing a moving company for not hiring enough older workers.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit against Meathead Movers, a moving company located in California, alleging that the company refused to hire workers based on their age. The suit was filed after the two sides failed to negotiate a settlement, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.

In a press release announcing the suit this fall, the EEOC alleged that "since at least 2017, Meathead Movers failed to recruit and hire applicants over 40 into moving, packing and customer service positions. Meathead maintains a pattern or practice of recruiting and hiring young college students, intentionally excluding older workers regardless of their individual abilities."

According to the Journal, the EEOC began investigating Meathead Movers in 2017 on its initiative rather than after a complaint was filed by a member of the public, with its investigation focused on marketing and hiring practices that it says discourage older workers. As the two sides attempted to negotiate a settlement, the EEOC initially sought $15 million in damages before lowering that figure to $5 million while Meathead offered $750,000 to settle, per emails reviewed by the outlet.

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Meathead has denied wrongdoing in its dispute with the EEOC. The company features the slogan "student-athlete movers" on its moving trucks and has social media posts showing workers lifting weights before heading out on a job. Workers also compete in the internal Meathead Olympics and the company sponsors a wrestling tournament.

"We are 100% open to hiring anyone at any age if they can do the job," Meathead Movers owner Aaron Steed told the Journal. "People love working at Meathead, or they are turned off by how hard it is. You have to move furniture and run to get more."

"We had no idea we were doing anything wrong by being a moving company that hires a lot of student-athletes. We want to change and evolve, but we can’t agree to go out of business doing it," Steed added.

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The legal clash between the EEOC and Meathead Movers could signal more litigation and enforcement actions by the agency against companies and programs that try to recruit younger workers, including college students. It may prompt some companies to proactively rebrand to head off legal challenges.

A similar moving company called College Hunks Hauling Junk told the Journal that "Hunks" stands for "Honest. Uniformed. Nice. Knowledgeable. Service" and has "nothing to do with targeting a college audience."

EEOC Chair Charlotte Burrows, who was appointed by President Biden, wrote a message in May this year to mark Older Americans Month to say that the agency will "redouble our efforts" to address challenges faced by older Americans in the workforce. Her message noted an AARP survey that found nearly two-thirds of older Americans believe age discrimination is common in the workforce.

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"Employers who assume that older workers are less capable than younger ones disregard the law and the evidence to the contrary. Older workers are not only integral to most workplaces, but also the economy itself," she added. "Denying a person the ability to work is also denying the opportunity for independence and fulfillment. The EEOC will continue its efforts to combat age discrimination and help ensure that all workers have the chance to contribute to the economy and can enjoy equal employment opportunity in the workplace."