By 2022, workers over 55 will make up a quarter of the United States workforce. With so many older Americans working, you wouldn’t think age discrimination would be a problem, but it is and victims should be compensated.
What Is Age Discrimination?
Age discrimination occurs when an employer fires or doesn’t hire someone because of age not ability.
Here’s an example of age discrimination:
Dorothy has 20 years of experience working in the information technology industry. She needs a new job after her husband passed away. She finds a company hiring experienced information technology specialists, so she applies. She receives a call for an interview, goes to it, and she answers all questions without hesitation. In the course of the interview, the employer asks for her date of birth. She thought that was odd, but didn’t think much of it. A few days later, she checks in with the employer, and finds out they hired someone straight out of college with no experience.
When an employer seeks someone with experience, but then decides to hire someone much younger with no experience, it can be a case of age discrimination.
Another example of age discrimination is when someone loses a job to be replaced by someone younger. In one recent New Jersey age discrimination case, Saffos v. Avaya, Inc., a company was forced to pay after a manager engaged in a systematic attempt to rid the business of older employees. This manager fired older staff to replace them with younger workers. Those who weren’t fired were subjected to a hostile work environment where attention, flattery and promotions were lavished on the younger workers. They fought back against this discrimination. The court found that this pattern of abuse towards long term employees with good track records reprehensible and awarded damages of $5 million.
What to Do if You’re a Victim
Age discrimination should not be something you need to deal with when working or finding a job. You are valuable to the United States workforce because of your experience and skills. If you feel as though you’re a victim of age discrimination, you may be able to file a suit against the employer.
Contact an experienced age discrimination lawyer in New York and New Jersey. The Law Offices of John J. Zidziunas has an experienced team of age discrimination lawyers that understand your rights. Contact us today at 973-509-8500 for a free phone consultation to discuss your case. You can also reach us at info@jjzlawfirm.com or visit our webpage at http://employmentdiscrimination.com.