PARSIPPANY — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) voted yesterday for a bipartisan bill to protect older New Jersey workers from age discrimination. The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act (H.R. 1230) addresses the 2009 Gross v FBL Financial Services Supreme Court decision that has made it harder for older workers to prove discrimination. It would return to the pre-2009 evidentiary standard to ensure that all victims of discrimination, including older workers, receive fair adjudication of their claims.
“New Jerseyans already face a high cost of living and rapidly changing workforce,” said Representative Sherrill. “Age discrimination should be treated just as seriously as any other form of discrimination. This bipartisan bill restores decades of legal precedent, allowing older workers to hold employers accountable for workplace discrimination.”
The Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act has strong, bipartisan support in the House of Representatives and has the endorsement of AARP, the ACLU, AFSCME, the National Council on Aging, the National Women’s Law Center, the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the National Women’s Law Center, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, and the NEA.