General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc. v. Cline

General Dynamics Land Systems, Inc. (General Dynamics) (defendant) entered into a collective-bargaining agreement with its employees’ union, eliminating healthcare benefits for General Dynamics’ workers who retired after the agreement, except for those employees who were already at least 50 years old. A number of General Dynamics’ employees (collectively, the employees) (plaintiffs), who were at least 40 years old but under 50, filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), arguing that the agreement violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The EEOC agreed and ordered General Dynamics and the union to settle with the employees. When no settlement occurred, the employees sued General Dynamics in federal court. General Dynamics argued that the ADEA prohibited only discrimination against older workers in favor of younger workers and therefore did not apply here. The employees argued that the ADEA prohibited all age-based discrimination, including discrimination against younger workers in favor of older workers, known as reverse age discrimination. The district court held that the ADEA did not protect against reverse age discrimination and dismissed the employees’ claim. The court of appeals reversed, holding that the ADEA prohibited all age-based discrimination. The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari.