NORTHRIDGE, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES, June 24, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — On May 10, 2022, a class-action lawsuit was filed in Chicago, Illinois federal court concerning the right of retirees to participate in later offered early retirement programs (often referred to as “Oscar’s Promise”). In 2017, United Airlines (“United”) recognized that employees were reluctant to retire because they did not want to miss out on enhanced retirement benefits the airline periodically offered through voluntary separation programs.
In an effort to reduce its workforce during periods in which such programs were not offered, United promised its employees that if they retired and within three years thereafter it offered any early retirement program providing better benefits than the employee received at their retirement, those employees would receive benefits under that superior program.
The lawsuit alleges that United violated federal and state law by denying retirees participation in the enhanced early retirement programs offered within 36 months of their retirement. The lawsuit is brought on behalf of all United retirees who retired between August 17, 2017, and December 31, 2020, who would have been eligible for a later offered retirement program had they not previously retired.
Because this lawsuit is brought on behalf of all such retirees, there is no need to opt into the Class – all such retirees are by definition members of the Class once the Court certifies the case as a class action. The case name is Hoffman, et al. v. United Airlines, et al., No. 1:21-cv-06395, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois.
A copy of the complaint can be found here.
Summary of the Claims
The lawsuit specifically alleges that United violated ERISA, the federal law governing employee benefit plans, and, alternatively, breached the 2017 promise by former United CEO Oscar Munoz, by among other things:
● Unlawfully excluding otherwise…