I want my job back

Could the Dallas Morning News purposely be bumping up their numbers of young staff members by replacing the older ones? Eighteen staff members, all over the age of 40, were laid off in 2004 and are now suing the company because of age discrimination.

In the lawsuit, the former employees claim that -- before the layoffs -- the paper replaced older newsroom department heads with younger managers who made derogatory comments about older workers, including accusing them of failing to adapt to new technology.

While it may be true these former employees struggled to adjust to new technology, the judge still has to consider other important factors as well. They should question if the plaintiffs had a hard work ethic, if they met deadlines consistently, and if they got along well with their fellow co-workers.

At the same time, I don't think companies should be so quick to replace older members with younger members, because experience is still a highly acknowledged skill.