IBM is not stupid. Every HR professional knows what the EEOC laws are and follows them to the letter in any big company. If IBM is ever proven to have done anything wrong I will revise my opinion but otherwise I’ll say this is a combination of sour grapes and yes, “unfair” treatment, but it falls short of being a violation of federal discrimination law.
I’m not so sure they are following the letter of the law, and in any case, the law is dependent upon guidance and enforcement by the Feds.
I think that the tech companies have spent a lot and worked a lot to buy cover with the Federal Government, especially when Obama was in office. Now that there is a new President, this may all change...
Many big corporations ignored the law at cuts they made in 07 & 08 in my opinion. Plenty of suits and claims.
The problem is in these technical fields the claimant with Federal traction just gets his job back somewhere where he knows he will live of borrowed time the rest of his career. The guy that goes for a big claim is usually someone who was at the top of the income ladder for their field and they have to make a claim in the corporate home office venue. Juries in Texas think canned execs in expensive states made way too much money and rarely award anything.
You are right. They have a great legal team. They are very careful to not leave evidence that can be used against them. It is not sour grapes. They have lost a number of cases. In the past the reverence payment was big enough that people just signed the release. If you think all big companies care about the law I have a bridge to sell to you.