THE DES MOINES REGISTER--May1213, 2016
Iowacaseshowsagediscriminationpersists,despitelaw
Robert Weiner and Daniel Khan
“Ageismisasodiousasracismorsexism,”FloridaRep.ClaudePepper,D-Fla.,saidin1976beforehislegislation(supportedbyAgingCommitteememberandthen-Rep.ChuckGrassley)passedtoeliminateage-basedmandatoryretirementandenddiscriminationinhiringandadvancement(theAgeDiscriminationandEmploymentActAmendments). WhilethenationisfondofdebatingimprovementsandchangestoSocialSecurity,bothlikelypresidentialnominees,HillaryClintonandDonaldTrump,promisetomaintainandprotectit. However,equallyimportanttoseniorsaretheeconomicsandself-worthoftheirwork. Beingfiredordemotedforageisunacceptable.
Age-relatedcomplaintshavegrown,notshrunk,inrecentyears. TheEqualEmploymentOpportunityCommissionreportsthatbetween1997and2007,therewerearound16,000to19,000filingsforagecomplaints. However,from2008thoughthepresent,complaintsincreasedto23,000to25,000ayear.AnAARPsurveyfoundthattwo-thirdsofworkersbetween45and74have“seenorexperiencedagediscriminationonthejob.”
ASupremeCourtdecisionin2009,Grossv.FBL.FinancialServices,Inc.,puttheADEAatgreaterrisk,andtheriskcontinuestoday. In2003,JackGrossnoticedamemoathisWestDesMoinesinsurancejobthatexplainedstaffingchanges. “Igotthisaheadoftime,anditjustjumpedoffthepage.Everybodythatthey’renaminghereismyageorolder. Nobodyunder50wasgettingdemoted. Theonlypromotionswerepeoplewhowerebasicallyagenerationyoungerthanus.”
Grosswas54atthetimeandavicepresidentatFBLFinancial.Hesuedthecompanyandachievedvictoryinthelowercourts.ButtheU.S.SupremeCourtruledonJune18,2009,by5-4thattheplaintiffmostprovethatagewasthesolereasonfordiscrimination.
Asaresult,hundredsofcasesrelatingtoagediscriminationhavebeenabandoned."Personally,that'soneofthethingsthatIresentmost,"Grosssays."Thatmynameisbeingassociatedwithsomuchinjusticeandunfairness."
Beforehand,ifanemployeewasfiredornotpromoted,theworkercouldraiseagediscriminationasanissue.Now,heorshemustprovewithabsolutecertaintythatagewastheprimaryreasonforterminationorfailuretorise.
“SuingyouremployerforagediscriminationisbasicallyplayingRussianroulettewithyourcareerfuture,”saysPaulBernard,anexecutivecoachforNextAvenue,apublicandnationalmediaserviceforAmerica’s50andoverpopulation.“Youburnyourbridgesandmaynevergethiredagain.”
PearlZuchlewski,aNewYork-basedemploymentlawyer,addshowtimeconsumingtheprocessis. “Mostpeoplewanttogetanotherjobandnotspendyearsindeposition.”
Arguably,thebiggestobstacleiscost. Depositioncostsareasmuchas$1,800aday.ForGross,thefeewas$11,000simplytoprintthedocumentsrelatingtohiscase. Youmightbeinabetterofftonegotiateadealwithyouremployer.
DanKohrman,aseniorattorneyattheAARPFoundation,asserts:“Thesekindofdecisionsscareoffworkersandlawyers.It’shardertoproveanagecase.”
Abrightspotisthatmorevictoriesarebeingwoninstatecourts,ifnotfederalcourts.California,Michigan,NewYork,andIowaaresomestatesthathavebetterprotectionsforolderworkers. DeborahCampbell,63,acommunityprogrammonitorforIowa’s3rdJudicialDistrictCorrectionalDepartment,wasawarded$404,682in2014byaWoodburyCountydistrictjudgeforagediscrimination.In2012,Dr.ZaneHurkin,81,wasawarded$340,000byaPolkCountyjuryforagediscriminationatWoodwardCountyResourceCenterinDesMoines. ButKorhmanelaborates:“Ifyoudon’tliveinthatkindofstate,thenitistough.Itisreallytough.”
Sen.GrassleyandformerSen.TomHarkinintroducedbipartisanlegislationtoundotheSupremeCourtdecisionofFBLvs.FinancialServicesin2012,andlastyearSens.BobCasey,D-Pa.,andMarkKirk,R-Ill.,introducedsimilarlegislation“tocleanupafterSupremeCourtdecisionthatexposedolderworkerstodiscrimination,”accordingtoThinkProgress,afederal-actionmonitoringblog.Grassleycommented,“ThedecisionintheGrosscasehashadamajorimpactonemploymentdiscriminationlitigationacrossthecountry.It’stimeweclarifythelawtoensurethatotherpeoplelikeJackGrossaren’tputinsimilarsituations.OlderAmericansdeservetheprotectionsCongressoriginallyintended.”
People50andolderwillbe35percentoftheworkforceby2019,accordingtotheUrbanInstitute.Withmorecasescomingin,thereispressureforCongresstoactagainstdiscriminationandfortheDepartmentofJusticetoputinplaceprotectionsforseniors’jobsecurity.Seniorsvoteinthehighestpercentagesofanyage,sothisnotonlymakesgoodsense,butgoodpolitics.
RobertWeinerisaformerspokesmanfortheClintonWhiteHouseandwaschiefofstaffoftheU.S.HouseAgingCommittee.DanielKhanisseniorpolicyanalystatRobertWeinerAssociatesandSolutionsforChange.
Linktoarticle: