The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) of 1967 originated from the Civil Rights Act that became law in 1964. The Civil Rights Act, through Title VII, suggests that discrimination present in the workplace in terms of color, race, religion, gender and national roots should be prohibited. Age discrimination was not yet included then. Later, in 1967, a study by the US Department of Labor revealed that age discrimination was prevalent, to which Congress responded with the ADEA of 1967. This law provided protections for employees aged ranging between 40 and 65 years. Through the years, the law was constantly updated as needed.
This article recounts the main changes in the ADEA of 1967.
In 1978, then President Jimmy Carter transferred enforcement of the ADEA to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). It was also in the same year that Congress further expanded the protection to include employees up to age 70. Nine years later, the age limit was removed to protect older people from discrimination. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 revised all of the primary civil rights laws being implemented in the country, which included the ADEA of 1967. The law reversed some decisions made by the Supreme Court, making it difficult for biased plaintiffs to age will win cases. However, in 1996, the Supreme Court ruled in his favor in the case of O’Connor v. Consolidated Coin Caterers Corp. In this case. The Supreme Court affirmed that the ADEA does not require the dismissed employee to prove that his replacement was under 40 years of age. However, four years later, the Supreme Court seemed to go against those people who have been victims of age discrimination over and over again. , as it stated that state government agencies were protected by the Constitution from being charged for money-related damages.
In 2002, nearly 20,000 age discrimination complaints were filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which was considered a record. Most of these complaints were due to the economic downturn and an aging workforce, made up of the Baby Boomer generation reaching retirement age. The following year, the EEOC achieved the largest settlement in history for an age discrimination case. There was a back pay of $250 million to 1,700 California public safety officers. Changes have been made to the 1967 ADEA over the past 40 years, but not all of them have benefited victims of age discrimination. More changes are expected to come over time as these changes will be made to fit the evolving society.