The Honorable Kirsten Gillibrand
478 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Lindsay Graham
211 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Chuck Grassley
135 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
The Honorable Dick Durbin
711 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senators Gillibrand, Graham, Grassley and Durbin,
On behalf of the millions of members and supporters of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, I am writing to endorse your bipartisan legislation, S. 2703, the “Protecting Older Americans Act”, which would invalidate forced arbitration clauses that prevent age discrimination victims from seeking justice. Members of the National Committee come from all walks of life and every political persuasion. What unites them is their passion for protecting and strengthening Social Security, Medicare, and the other programs that are so vitally important to older Americans.
Older Americans today are increasingly interested in participating in the workforce, either because they need to work to make ends meet or because they enjoy working and appreciate the benefits that can result from staying engaged in the workforce. However, despite the fact that age discrimination is illegal in the United States, ageism is alive and well in many workplaces. Supreme Court rulings have made it increasingly difficult for employees to challenge employment contracts that mandate the use of arbitration to resolve disputes. Forced arbitration occurs when a company requires a potential employee to submit any potential disputes to binding arbitration as a condition of employment. It is a secretive process that strips hard-working Americans of their constitutional right to a jury trial. Arbitrators are largely paid by employers, giving them a financial incentive to rule against workers, which makes it more difficult for victims of age discrimination to get justice.
The “Protecting Older Americans Act” would enable victims to reject forced arbitration and have their day in court, if they so choose, giving them an important, and constitutionally protected, method to protect themselves against illegal age discrimination. It helps ensure older Americans have the same workplace protections provided to survivors of sexual harassment and assault. And it is an essential step toward smoothing the road for meaningful opportunities for workforce participation by older workers.
The National Committee endorses your legislation, and we look forward to working with you to protect America’s older workers.
Sincerely,
Max Richtman
President and CEO