That sure sucked but this was not about the age but about the cost. They wanted to fire the most expensive people. In union shops seniority tends to go in hand

That sure sucked but this was not about the age but about the cost. They wanted to fire the most expensive people. In union shops seniority tends to go in hand with higher pay. And I'm guessing their thinking was that the closer someone is to retirement, the more likely they are to accept a payout offer.