Another Chobani employee lawsuit alleges age discrimination

BOISE – Another former employee of the Chobani yogurt plant in Idaho has filed a lawsuit accusing the company of age discrimination.

Virginia Tucker, who worked as a maintenance technician at the Twin Falls plant from January 2013 until she was fired in June 2015, filed the lawsuit Monday in federal court.

The suit said Tucker was older than 60 when she was fired and was the second-oldest employee in the maintenance department.

The suit said Tucker was discriminated against because of her age and gender.

The Idaho Human Rights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission dismissed her complaints.

Chobani spokesman Michael Gonda said the company also investigated and found no discrimination.

Tucker was let go on the same day as Jerry Ash, a former maintenance supervisor who also sued, claiming age discrimination a month ago, the Times-News reported.

Ash’s case is pending.

Tucker’s suit claimed her younger, male supervisor said in supervisor meetings that she should get negative performance ratings because he believed she was a threat to the company and should be fired before she sued.

It also said her young male supervisors pulled an unspecified humiliating prank against her in a crowded lunch room and laughed at her in front of others.

The suit said Tucker was fired a day after complaining to the state human rights commission and the EEOC.

The company said Tucker was fired because she did not perform a proper procedure while working on a piece of equipment.

Tucker’s suit said the company didn’t follow procedures in its employee handbook in firing her, and that a state Department of Labor investigation found she didn’t violate any company procedures.

The suit said Chobani replaced her with a younger, less experienced man.

Tucker is seeking lost pay and benefits, damages and attorney’s and court fees.