Civil and Human Rights Coalition Applauds Introduction of Bill to Protect Older Workers from Discrimination

WASHINGTON – Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president for policy at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after the Senate’s introduction of the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (POWADA) by Senator Kirk, R-Ill., and Senator Casey, D-Pa.:

“Today’s bipartisan introduction of the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act is a critical step in combatting age discrimination and ensuring that older Americans have the same workplace rights as everyone else.

This bill is a legislative fix to the Supreme Court decision in Gross v. FBL Financial, which seriously undermined the employment protections that have served older workers and our country for decades. The Court’s ruling in this case made it nearly impossible for older workers to prove they’ve been victims of age discrimination. This legislation would also address the Court’s 2013 decision in University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center v. Nassar, which dealt all workers a blow by undermining workers’ rights when employers retaliate against them for challenging discrimination. The bill also ensures that workers with disabilities can bring claims using the same legal standards as other victims of employment discrimination.

Many older Americans are still working to regain the economic security they lost in the 2008 recession. At a time when Americans are staying in the workforce longer, protecting older workers’ rights is absolutely crucial. Congress should move swiftly to restore fairness in the workplace and pass the Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act.”

Nancy Zirkin is executive vice president for policy at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.