BY JOYCE DeMONNIN, ALAN DeLaTORRE and MARGARET NEAL

We are proud of Portland's role as the leader in creating cities that are friendly to people of all ages. Last Friday marked the the 50th anniversary of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, an anniversary that gives us an opportunity to reflect on the work left to do. While the age discrimination act doesn't offer the same level of protection as Title XII for race, religion and gender, it acknowledged and attempted to remedy the strong bias in the American psyche that somehow older just wasn't as good as younger.

That myth persists today. Many argue that ageism is the one "ism" you can make fun of and there will be no consequences. Do you think black balloons at 50 are funny or calling your mentor "granny" is cute? They are not.

You might think older workers cost more than younger ones. In fact, older workers take fewer sick days. You might think older workers won't stick around, and yet older workers have the highest level of workforce engagement of any age demographic.

In a 2013 AARP study, nearly two-thirds of older workers reported witnessing or experiencing age discrimination in the workplace, a figure that has remained stubbornly persistent. And these older workers aren't those lucky few at the top of an imaginary fabulous career pyramid hogging all the awesome jobs millennials are eager to attain.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, median weekly earnings in 2017 were higher for workers ages 45-54 than workers 55-64. In fact, we have large numbers of older workers in lower-income and less skilled work.

The argument that older workers keep younger ones from getting ahead, the "lump of layer theory" because the number of jobs is finite can be easily dispelled by Portland's growth over the last decade. As the population increased, the unemployment rate went down. Newcomers aren't taking away jobs. They are growing the economy.

Researchers Alicia Munnell and April Yanyuan Wu from Boston College wrote, "This horse has been beaten to death. An exhaustive search found no evidence to support the lump of labor theory. ... The evidence suggests that greater employment of older persons leads to better outcomes for the young -- reduced unemployment, increased employment and a higher wage."

Employing older people has other economic benefits. According to David Neumark, at the National Bureau of Economic Research, "population aging means that public policy must be increasingly concerned with the employment of older individuals, because continued employment implies lower dependency ratios, greater income, more tax revenues and decreased public expenditures on health insurance, retirement benefits and income support." Everyone benefits when older adults stay engaged in the workforce.

The purpose of the age discrimination act -- and other civil rights laws -- was to ensure equal opportunity, regardless of a worker's occupation, salary or status. Here in Oregon, our "Age Friendly" efforts are shining a light on age as an asset, acknowledging the contributions of older adults and creating policies that bring age as an equity issue into focus. For too long we've looked the other way at age-related unfair employment practices. It's time to stand up as a community and acknowledge employees of all ages keep our community vibrant and viable, and strengthen our business, government and nonprofit sectors.

-- Joyce DeMonnin of AARP Oregon; Alan De La Torre and Margaret Neal of Portland State University's Institute on Aging are all members of the City of Portland's Age Friendly Cities Economic Development and Work Subcommittee. Mayor Ted Wheeler and Commissioner Nick Fish oversee the subcommittee.

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