Tag Archives: age discrimination

Want to really be “open for business”? Outlaw discrimination against younger workers in Nebraska

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One way to attract and keep young workers in Nebraska; stop discriminating against them/

Last week, the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce joined their companion organizations in Omaha and Lincoln in endorsing amending Nebraska’s fair employment statute to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Proponents of expanding civil rights protections to LGBT Nebraskans have pitched this proposition as an economic development tool meant to keep and attract younger Nebraskans who would otherwise flee a state that allows discrimination not allowed in other states.

Maybe I’ve spent too much time tangling in the trenches with lawyers for Nebraska’s big businesses. Maybe I’m just a Bernie Bro. Maybe both, but I have a hard time keeping my eyes from rolling when I hear the “Open for Business” approach to civil rights parroted by professional progressives in our state’s unicameral and mini-Beltway. (Lincoln has a K Street with tons of lobbyists offices, just like D.C.)

I mean for-you-know-what’s sake, any employment protections endorsed by the Chamber of Commerce are bound to be milquetoast at best.

But let’s assume some merit to the “Open for Business” approach. Let’s assume civil rights laws are an economic tool. How else could civil rights laws in Nebraska be amended to help attract and keep young people in Nebraska?

How about amending our age discrimination laws to prohibit discrimination against younger workers?

Miami (of Ohio) University Professor Megan Gerhardt argued for this in a recent opinion piece for NBC News. I made a similar argument in a blog post last year. In that post, I pointed out that at least Canadian province protects workers as young as 18 in their age discrimination laws. I also pointed out that since younger workers tend to get hurt more, anti-youth bias is a way to discriminate against injured workers.

I can tell you from first hand experience, that many business types talk about “millennials” or young people in a way that would get them successfully sued even in a jurisdiction like Nebraska, if they spoke like that about a group protected under our civil rights laws.

If Nebraska really wants to keep and attract younger workers, we should amend our age discrimination laws to protect younger workers. While I support expanding our state’s employment laws to protect LGBT Nebraskans, any comparative advantage Nebraska would get in expanding those laws would be lessened if the Supreme Court expands federal civil rights law to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Questioning by Justice Neil Gorsuch at oral argument in October 2019 on the issue has many LGBT rights advocates optimistic that the court will expand Title VII.

By expanding our age discrimination laws to include younger employees, Nebraska would truly be innovative. Nebraska is unique among states in having a one house (unicameral) and non-partisan legislature. This unique legislative body should start passing some more unique laws.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

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Millennials suffer most work injuries in Nebraska

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Nearly 2/3 of reported work injuries in Nebraska are workers under 40

Workers under the age of 40 comprise 65.7 percent of reported work injuries in the state of Nebraska according to recently released statistics by the Nebraska Workers’ Compensation Court.

Put another way, Millennials are the generation that suffer the most work injuries in this state. Viewed one way, the fact that so many young people get hurt on the job belies the assumption that young people are lazy or soft. Much like the misconception that all blue collar workers are white, there is an assumption that young people don’t do blue collar work.

But viewed another way, negative stereotypes about millennials  jibe with perception held by many that injured workers are just trying to get out of work or “milk the system”. In that mindset, millennial employees would be more likely to claim workers compensation because workers’ compensation claims are almost per se fraudulent.

In Nebraska and most states injured employees have some protection against discrimination if they file a workers’ compensation claim. (Although it is a close issue as to whether an injured worker is a member of a protected class or engaging in a protected activity or both) But workers under the age of 40 in Nebraska and in most other states have no protection against discrimination based on age.

The fact that stereotyping young people is legally permissible means that respectable business types have no problem with sharing humor like the “Millennial Job Interview” video that made the rounds on the internet. I doubt that any video that  sterotyped a protected class like this video stereotyped millenials would have openly shared without rebuke.

I suspect allowing discrimination against young people negatively impacts terms and conditions of employment for young people. Lawmakers in Canada, where age discrimination laws generally kick in at age 18, seem to think it does. I also wonder whether negative stereotypes about millennials would lead employers to discount safety complaints from younger workers or lead them to believe that younger workers exaggerate the extent of their injuries.

Stereotypes about lazy young people aren’t new to millennials. Future generations including, Generation Z , will likely be subject to negative stereotyping. Human nature may not change, but laws controlling discrimination may force employees to change their behavior. Laws outlawing age discrimination against young people may also promote workplace safety as young people suffer the bulk of work injuries.

At least one millennial in Nebraska will have an opportunity to shape workplace law in Nebraska. Lincoln Senator Matt Hansen was elected to chair the Business and Labor Committee in the Nebraska legislature. Hansen has a good record on workers issues and I believe he will work hard to preserve and maybe even expand employee rights in Nebraska in this important position.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

This entry was posted in Nebraska, Workers Compensation and tagged , , , .

Proposed Changes To Iowa Workers Compensation Cruelly Target Elderly Employees

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elderly employeeAnti-worker changes could be coming to Iowa workers compensation. To me the cruelest reform would be the proposal to end permanent total disability benefits at age 67 and limit workers who are over 67 who become permanently and totally disabled to 150 weeks of benefits. One memorable client of mine demonstrates the callousness of the proposed Iowa reforms.

My client Doris Newkirk was 83 years old when she was injured working as a hostess at Lone Star Steakhouse in west Omaha in June 2006. She was near a bathroom door when a large male co-worker came barreling into the bathroom and caused Doris to fall back and injure multiple parts of her body. Like many retirees, Doris worked because she needed the money. After her injury she was unable to work. Fortunately Doris was able to receive permanent total disability benefits to make up for the income she lost because she wasn’t able to work. Those permanent benefits started in September 2007 and continued for five years and 10 ½ months until her death on July 21, 2013.

If Nebraska law limited those injured over the age of 67 to 150 weeks of permanent total disability benefits, Doris wouldn’t have been paid anything for the last three years of her life. To her credit, Doris travelled from Omaha to Lincoln in her late 80s to testify against similar legislation when it was proposed in Nebraska. According the Business and Labor committee clerk at the time, the state Senator who introduced the bill at the behest of insurance interests made a motion to kill the bill after listening to her testimony.

Workers compensation is a cost of business. But according to CNBC, Iowa has the second lowest cost of doing business in the country. Iowa, like Nebraska, generally ranks well in national surveys of business climate. Iowa’s weakest area when it comes to business climate,  according to CNBC, is quality of workforce. Unlike Nebraska, Iowa lacks vocational rehabilitation for injured workers. If Iowa is looking to reform its workers compensation system, they should consider investing in vocational rehabilitation so injured workers can fully regain their ability to contribute to the economy in Iowa.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

This entry was posted in Elder Law, Employment, employment law, Iowa, Nebraska, Workers Compensation and tagged , , .

Age Discrimination Claims in Workers’ Compensation Settlements?

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Today’s post comes from guest author Anthony L. Lucas, from The Jernigan Law Firm. The post addresses why some severance agreements may not be enforceable. Often times a workers compensation case will involve employment law issues, which is why an injured worker should consider consulting an attorney who is knowledgeable in both areas of law.

When an employee settles a workers’ compensation claim, the employer often wants to terminate the employee and is cautious because of potential age discrimination. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), 29 U.S.C. 621 et seq. (2015), prohibits companies with 20 or more employees from discriminating against a person (40 years of age or older) because of his or her age with respect to any term, condition, or privilege of employment, including hiring, firing, promotion, layoff, compensation, benefits, job assignments, and training.

An individual who has been discriminated against because of his or her age may be entitled to back pay, reinstatement, hiring, promotion, front pay, liquidated damages, and court costs and attorney fees.

To avoid potential discrimination claims after a workers’ compensation settlement, the employer often seeks an ADEA waiver at the same time. For an ADEA waiver to be enforceable, it must:

  • Be in writing and understandable;

  • Specifically refer to ADEA rights or claims;

  • Not waive an individual’s future rights or claims;

  • Be in exchange for valuable consideration in addition to anything of value to which the individuals is already entitled;

  • Advise the individual to consult with an attorney before signing the waiver;

  • Provide the individual with a certain amount of time to consider the agreement:

    • 21 days for individual agreements

    • 45 days for group waiver agreements

    • A “reasonable” amount of time for settlements of ADEA claims

  • Provide a period of at least 7 days following the execution of the agreement, in which the agreement is not effective or enforceable, in which the individual may revoke the agreement.

Some termination agreements may not be enforceable, and the individual may have a valid claim to pursue under the ADEA.

The offices of Rehm, Bennett, Moore & Rehm, which also sponsors the Trucker Lawyers website, are located in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. Five attorneys represent plaintiffs in workers’ compensation, personal injury, employment and Social Security disability claims. The firm’s lawyers have combined experience of more than 95 years of practice representing injured workers and truck drivers in Nebraska, Iowa and other states with Nebraska and Iowa jurisdiction. The lawyers regularly represent hurt truck drivers and often sue Crete Carrier Corporation, K&B Trucking, Werner Enterprises, UPS, and FedEx. Lawyers in the firm hold licenses in Nebraska and Iowa and are active in groups such as the College of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers, Workers' Injury Law & Advocacy Group (WILG), American Association for Justice (AAJ), the Nebraska Association of Trial Attorneys (NATA), and the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). We have the knowledge, experience and toughness to win rightful compensation for people who have been injured or mistreated.

This entry was posted in Age Discrimination, Workers' Compensation and tagged , , , .