Thread regarding AT&T layoffs

Age discrimination lawsuit

Another age discrimination lawsuit articlegoing. Funny how at&t claims cursing is code of conduct violation and potty mouth Legg does it all the time.

Link

https://www.nj.com/news/2026/04/att-faces-age-discrimination-suit-after-firing-longtime-nj-employee.html

Some of article below

A longtime AT&T employee in New Jersey has filed a federal lawsuit alleging age discrimination and wrongful termination.

The suit, filed March 31 in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, claims Daniel A. Zuckerman, 62, was demoted and ultimately fired last year without warning in retaliation for opposing discrimination and seeking legal advice.

A longtime AT&T employee in New Jersey has filed a federal lawsuit alleging age discrimination and wrongful termination.

A spokesperson for AT&T called the lawsuit “baseless,” and said the company will defend itself in court.

“This employee was not a victim of discrimination: he was given a new job assignment during an organizational restructure, and he was terminated for violating our Code of Business Conduct,” the spokesperson said.

Zuckerman, of Hillsborough, started his career at AT&T in May 1985, according to the lawsuit. He spent nearly 40 years climbing the ranks before he was fired from the company’s Bedminster office on Jan. 27, 2025.

At the time, he held the role of level-three director as a member of technical staff. However, days before his termination, he was notified that he would be demoted to level two associate director in cybersecurity, effective Feb. 1, according to the complaint.

Zuckerman claims he has never received disciplinary action or a negative performance evaluation during his tenure.

The lawsuit alleges that AT&T maintains a corporate culture of age discrimination which encourages older employees to leave voluntarily, and favors younger employees.

Zuckerman also claims he was instructed in 2014 not to hire a highly qualified 56-year-old candidate because of the candidate’s age.

The lawsuit says the age discrimination originated with top leadership. It points to remarks by former CEO Randall Stephenson in 2016 about AT&T’s aging workforce and need to reinvent itself, and alleges current CEO John Stankey made “outrageously offensive” ageist statements.

During a July 2023 town hall, Stankey stated that the workforce needed younger employees to better match the U.S. population, according to the suit.


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| 21 views | | 22 replies (last April 28) | Reply
Post ID: @OP+1kpv9y828

22 replies (most recent on top)

@q4
This old would be happy to leave. Give me my severance.

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Post ID: @14e+1kpv9y828

@g4 So, Stankey himself maybe? Do we just fire everyone who hits 60? Pretty sure Stankey has 40 years of work history. Most of the execs are over 60. I'm all for firing them. WFH for everyone, no buildings, no due dates, unlimited vacay, no college loans, free housing, free lunch, six-figure salaries for all, no college degree requirements, free phones, tax the rich.

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Post ID: @14b+1kpv9y828

“Let's call a spade a spade.”

An employee who has completed 40 years is old. This isn’t derogatory or judgment. Just fact.

And old means what exactly? Not spending an hour and a half in the gym everyday while still taking a lunch hour, leaving by or before 5:00PM to make Reggae night on Thursday's or Happy Hour on Friday's? We old folks laugh about this all the time.

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Post ID: @123+1kpv9y828

When can I get my old butt laid off?

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Post ID: @zw+1kpv9y828

Olds need to leave because theyre slowing all of us down.

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Post ID: @q4+1kpv9y828

wtf: what the flux

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Post ID: @pn+1kpv9y828

“Let's call a spade a spade.”

An employee who has completed 40 years is old. This isn’t derogatory or judgment. Just fact.

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Post ID: @ha+1kpv9y828

Uh Oh....many people were required to move and demoted and just went along, did not rock the boat, as they need their jobs.

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Post ID: @g5+1kpv9y828

Let's call a spade a spade. We are out with the old, the CEO actually said that. How could it be baseless, when it's true.

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Post ID: @g4+1kpv9y828

“ Seriously, retire already…”

I get that sentiment, really I do. I mean you have put in 40 years.

That said, he IS in a protected work class. And maybe he “needs” to keep working due to some financial issues we aren’t aware of.

It would be like if you had a racist boss that harassed you as a POC. You have put in 40 years, why put up with it anymore? Just retire. Well, you shouldn’t, and you don’t have to put up with it per Federal Law.

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Post ID: @e9+1kpv9y828

As a director, wasn’t he required to use the mediation process rather than pursue litigation? AT&T needs to countersue to recover all legal fees.

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Post ID: @dp+1kpv9y828

“ Why was Zuckerman fired rather than surplused?”

Read the article, it’s interesting.

Anyway, the company says he was fired because of unprofessional conduct and for using profanity during the meeting when he was informed he was being demoted, saying it was a violation of COBC.

Zuckerman sent an email the day after that meeting, informing all that he had hired an employment attorney.

Company fired him 2 days after that.

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Post ID: @dg+1kpv9y828

Why was Zuckerman fired rather than surplused?

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Post ID: @d7+1kpv9y828

He worked here for 40 years and is suing to keep working? This article is really depressing.

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Post ID: @d4+1kpv9y828

Other outlets now picking this up this nj.com article. Glad it's getting press.

They need to subpoena santone on targeted beneft cuts as well. Would love to see baldy put on the stand for his comments or force them to finally release the video of his comments. Unfortunately, and too bad, that this probably is another headed for settlement where they admit no wrong. Hope zuckerman doesn't settle and gets them in court.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/t-faces-age-discrimination-suit-171217863.html

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Post ID: @cv+1kpv9y828

@ar you are in a different station of life

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Post ID: @ay+1kpv9y828

Seriously, retire already… I was a college freshman in 1985. Just retired this year. Know when to let go and enjoy life. The stress at T will eat you up if you let it. I was laid off one month shy of 30 years service, however I had met the rule of 75. Kept my skill set current, obtained an MBA on the company and landed a much better paying job after T. I started planning for retirement in my mid-20’s. Best of luck with this endeavor.

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Post ID: @ar+1kpv9y828

@a3 They can't do anything other than settle them without risking shareholder lawsuits piled on. What would really be fun is if one of the plaintiffs decides they can't be bought and chooses to go the distance and put it in front of a jury . 9 figure punitive damages would grab some headlines and roll some heads.

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Post ID: @a9+1kpv9y828

Who cares just do your damn job smoke a blunt before work and skate at 8 hours

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Post ID: @a8+1kpv9y828

I hope this moves to class action status.

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Post ID: @a5+1kpv9y828

wonder if you spend this much time on doing your work for the day and going home.. no one gives af.

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Post ID: @a4+1kpv9y828

My attorney said that T always makes public claims they didnt do nothing wrong for public facing PR but always settles as opposed to having the truth come out in court and have a ruling set a precedence .

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Post ID: @a3+1kpv9y828

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