The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is being sued by five former workers who say they were laid off because they were closer to retirement and had higher wages than their colleagues.

The workers, all from north-central Idaho and eastern Washington, filed the age discrimination lawsuit in Lewiston, Idaho's 2nd District Court. The Lewiston Tribune reports that the workers say they were among 126 employees laid off last year amid budget cuts and office closures around the state, and that the department selected older employees for the layoffs.