HONOLULU — The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is alleging that Kmart subjected a 73-year-old female pharmacist to age harassment and retaliation, and forced her from her job.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, the agency says a pharmacy manager at the chain’s North Nimitz Highway store subjected the woman to age-based insults.
The suit accuses the manager of telling the worker she was “too old to work” and she “should retire,” among other oppressive and discriminatory conduct.
The agency contends Kmart failed to take appropriate action to investigate and correct the harassment as the law requires.
The EEOC filed its suit seeking lost wages and other penalties in U.S. District Court after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement.