The signs at first are disguised, then painfully apparent, they say.
Solid performance reviews suddenly turn negative.
Invitations to weekly and monthly meetings are no longer forthcoming.
New demands and quotas seem harsh and unreasonable.
In what some see as age bias,older workersare being forced out of their jobs.
Last year, 21,396 claims were recorded.
Not every lawsuit is valid, experts say.
Many are settled without assigning blame.
Companies are sometimes hamstrung by the law from giving their side of the story in age discrimination cases.
One possible reason for the trend: an aging population.
The act applies to employers with at least 20 workers.
Bipartisan legislation introduced last year would restore some protections.
Older workers say the legislation is needed.
“People who had retired voluntarily it turned out it wasn’t so voluntary,” she says.
“They felt they had been pushed out.
Some said employers were setting unrealistic goals.
Some couldn’t do their job because of physical demands, or they didn’t feel valued.
Not many said they wanted toretire to pursue their dreamsor passion.”
Even when company practices are challenged, the odds of winning a case aren’t great.
“They think they can get away with it.”
Now 57, she’d worked for the New Jersey-based company for almost half her life.
“It places you on a pedestal for knowing your stuff,” she says.
In 2010, she was fired for poor performance and denied severance for her 26 years of service.
The suit is pending, and Quest has declined to comment.
