Ezra Klein: Why rich guys want to raise the retirement age

[JDPriestly]

52. Right. And you have to make a claim to the right EEOC or state

Last edited Mon Nov 26, 2012, 04:49 AM - Edit history (1)

equivalent office.

The laws do not adequately protect older workers.

I worked for a company that fired an older woman. I don't know that reason they gave for doing it, but the real reason (and I am sure of this) was that she was hard of hearing. Old and with a disability, but they fired her. It's just cruel out there.

If you are young and you can't get work, you can trust that when the economy gets better, you will get a chance. But when a person is over 60 and loses a job in an economic downturn, he or she will most likely never get another job.

Yet people like Pete Peterson want to raise the eligibility age for Social Security. He is living in the past. Nowadays, quite a number of people are taking early Social Security because they cannot get jobs, not because they are tired of working or because they have enough saved to retire in comfort.

On edit, I think people should talk to a lawyer if they are over 50 and are fired. It's true that the chances of winning a lawsuit or settlement are small, but every time someone wins, it is a blow against discrimination. It is important even if the settlement or judgment is not very high.

A lot of lawyers will talk to a new client without charge for the initial interview. People need to call several lawyers and check with the local bar association or an employment law attorneys association to find someone to advise them. Your cautionary post is helpful, but unless people sue for age discrimination, what can you do?

The important thing is that older employees should keep a file. Note the dates that your employer does something that makes you feel uncomfortable. Don't get angry. Get even.

And no. I am not an employment lawyer. I am retired. I know that employers are given a lot of advice on how to fire people. Unfortunately, employees do not get any advice on how to deal with the dog-eat-dog workplace world in which we now live.

It's a crying shame. American workers are being taken advantage of. They give the good years of their life to their work and all too often are simply thrown out with very little to show for all their effort. It's so sad.