Eastern Air Lines, Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

**Eastern Air Lines v. EEOC (1981)** This case involved a dispute over Eastern Air Lines' seniority system, which determined job assignments and benefits based on how long employees had worked there. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) argued that the airline's seniority system was discriminatory because it continued the effects of past discrimination that occurred before civil rights laws were enacted. The EEOC wanted to force changes to the system to remedy these lingering effects. The Supreme Court sided with Eastern Air Lines, ruling that legitimate seniority systems are protected under federal employment law, even when they continue to reflect the consequences of discrimination that happened before 1965. The Court found that the EEOC was interpreting the law too broadly when trying to challenge these established systems. This ruling matters for workers because it confirms that employers can generally maintain traditional seniority systems without being required to restructure them to fix historical discrimination. While this protects the job security and advancement expectations of current employees who benefit from seniority, it also means that the lingering workplace effects of past discrimination may persist longer in unionized workplaces and other jobs where seniority determines opportunities.