On October 8th, LiveOn NY joined Council Member Chin and other aging advocates for a rally and public hearing on age discrimination in the workforce. LiveOn NY’s Director of Public Policy, Katelyn Andrews, spoke at the rally (pictured left) on the steps of City Hall. Jenna Gladfelter, Public Policy Associate, testified at the joint hearing held by City Council’s Committee on Aging and Committee on Civil and Human Rights.
Watch the hearing here, and listen to the timely testimony of the reporters of NY1 who launched an age- and gender-discrimination lawsuit against their employer, as well as the inspired testimony of fellow aging advocates. LiveOn NY testifies at the 2:29:10 minute mark in this nearly 3 hour hearing. Read our full, written testimony, below:
New York City Council
Joint Hearing
Committee on Aging, Chair, Council Member Margaret Chin
Committee on Civil and Human Rights, Chair, Council Member Eugene
October 8th, 2019
Oversight – Age Discrimination in the Workforce
Thank you, Chairs Chin and Eugene, and the Committees, for the opportunity to testify on age discrimination in the workplace. LiveOn NY would also like to thank Council Member Chin and Council Member Ayala for shining a light on this issue that affects so many, and if left unaddressed, will undoubtedly affect many more.
It is critical that we view aging as the normative life process that it is. In other words: we are all aging. We find ourselves in an exciting time in which the future of aging itself is dynamic and evolving. Perhaps like never before, there is no “one size fits all” for the aging process. While previous generations may have lived by a more consistent set of milestones, today we all experience life and aging differently, and therefore deserve the opportunity to thrive in accordance with our own drive, desires, limitations, and values, regardless of age. For some, this may mean an early and long-awaited retirement; for others, a second act in an unexplored career path; for most, however, it means the continued economic pressures of an often unequal society.
This economic reality means that many older adults simply cannot afford the fiscal implications of a frequently age-biased, and at times, discriminatory society and workplace. Even beyond economic pressures, older adults should not be shunted the opportunity to fulfill the innate desire to have utility, be productive, and contribute. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, by the year 2024, workers 55 or older will represent 25% of the workforce. By contrast, in 1994, those 55 and older represented just 11%. And yet, while today many people are working longer, age discrimination – particularly in the workforce – is still very real. It is ingrained in stereotypes of how older adults live, behave, and work, which can have a seriously damaging effect on their job opportunities and overall well-being.
“Many older adults simply cannot afford the fiscal implications of a frequently age-biased, and at times, discriminatory society and workplace.”
While age discrimination is highly unreported, the most common cases that are filed involve an individual not being hired due to age, followed closely by being passed over for promotions. These occurrences have a clear fiscal impact on the individual, and may be more common than has been enumerated given the aforementioned lack of reporting. In fact, in a 2017 study by AARP, more than 6 in 10 workers age 45 and older say they have seen or experienced age discrimination in the workplace. Of those, 91% say that it is a common occurrence.
For already marginalized populations, such as women, immigrants, or minority communities, these age-related injustices only serve to exacerbate existing inequities. Inequities such as lost wages due to caregiving, persistent wage gap within communities of color, and lack of pension options for a multitude of workers, means that the financial margins that are so slim that the effects of age discrimination can be devastating.
It is in light of these injustices that LiveOn NY would like to express our strong support for all of the bills being discussed at today’s hearing. We applaud Council Members Chin and Ayala for introducing a legislative package aiming to change the narrative around the value of older adults and older workers.
We would also like to respectfully submit several recommendations in an effort to see this legislative package as strong as it can be:
First, as proposed in Intro 1694, we support Council Member Chin’s efforts for the City to have a team working to ensure that equity in employment opportunities exists for older New Yorkers. LiveOn would like to submit for consideration that this team be housed within the Office of Workforce Development as a Center for Older Workers, enabling employees to capitalize on existing resources.
Secondly, LiveOn NY looks forward to supporting the work of the task force proposed in Intro 1693, and we applaud Council Member Chin’s efforts to create such a body to convene on this key issue. LiveOn on encourages the Task Force to include a representative with legal expertise on age discrimination. We believe that having a legal expert who understands the ins and outs of this issue is integral given the status of age as a protected class according to the federal government. LiveOn NY looks forward to learning the findings of the task force, and believes its report could act as a blueprint to inform and embolden the team created through Intro 1694. We believe that, in concert, both bills have a significant opportunity to positively impact the lives of older New Yorkers.
To close, LiveOn NY would like to stress the importance of recognizing the value and contributions of older adults in all aspects of the public and private spheres, and to reframe the way we as a society view and treat the oldest among us. Even beyond the workplace, it is imperative that we recognize the value of older adults in society at large, as demonstrated through countless hours of volunteerism, local economic impact, caregiving responsibility, civic and community engagement, and more. In short: it is time that older adults are recognized for their strengths. LiveOn NY looks forward to continued conversations on how to make New York a better place to work and age. Thank you again for the opportunity to testify.