History

• The Age Discrimination Act was passed in 1975 in the Unites States. This act prohibits the discrimination or poor treatment of anyone due to their age. It was mainly created due to discrimination of the elderly, but it covers all ages. Ageism is a problem hidden in corporations and organizations. Light was shed on the problem as workers began to age and extend the years they work before retirement. The acts prohibits requiring an employee to retire before the age of 70.
  
  

Significance

• The significance of the law helped unions protect older employees and non-union employees who want to keep working past a certain age. The discrimination has happened in cases where the employer wanted to save money or complete tasks faster. In some cases, younger workers were hired to replace an aging worker that may need to be retrained due to new technology.
  
  

Considerations

• Considerations in discrimination cases include health concerns of the person involved in the age discrimination case. As some people age, they may have trouble with motor skills, sight or hearing making workplace tasks take a little longer. Although the person may be doing an excellent job at the tasks, some employers have lost patience and preferred younger workers.
  
  

Theories/Speculation

• The speculation of the ageism in the workplace has concluded that younger workers can be a cheaper and greater asset. In recent years, it has been proven that older workers are more stable and reliable in the workplace. This often reverses age discrimination to include younger workers who sometimes have a hard time finding employment due to the reliability of older workers.
  
  

Associations

• There are many associations for older American workers. Among them and the most popular is the American Association for Retired Persons (AARP). The group extends memberships to workers age 50 and above. The UAW, the United Auto Workers union, also has a division for retirees who were members of the union.