Pass the Protecting Older Americans Act. Let workers choose how justice is pursued.
Pass the Protecting Older Americans Act. Let workers choose how justice is pursued.
The Issue
To Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries:
We call on congressional leaders to bring the Protecting Older Americans Act of 2025 (S. 2703 and H.R. 5115) out of committee, schedule votes in both chambers, and pass it without weakening its essential protections.
Age discrimination is widespread but remarkably few workers are able to challenge it successfully. According to an AARP survey of older adults, nearly 20% of workers said they had experienced workplace age discrimination since turning 40 -- yet only 1% had ever filed an official claim against an employer.
That enormous gap shows that the existing system discourages workers from seeking justice. Among those who experienced discrimination, 59% spoke to family members or friends, while just 6% contacted the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or an attorney.
Forced arbitration is the barrier standing in their way.
Many employees are required to accept arbitration clauses in hiring documents, employee handbooks, or electronic onboarding forms before any dispute has occurred. These provisions can prevent workers from bringing their claims before a jury and may also block them from joining with colleagues who experienced the same discriminatory treatment. The decision is made when workers have little bargaining power and no way of knowing what future misconduct they might encounter.
Most people do not even realize they have signed away these rights. The AARP survey found that only 13% of adults age 50 and older had ever reviewed their employment paperwork to determine whether it contained a mandatory arbitration clause.
The public overwhelmingly believes that workers deserve a genuine choice. 83% of believe that employees should have the right to bring age-discrimination cases in court rather than be forced into arbitration. 69% support federal legislation that would make forced arbitration of age-discrimination claims illegal. Notably, support was consistent across political parties.
The Protecting Older Americans Act would provide that choice. It would allow workers alleging age discrimination to reject predispute arbitration agreements and predispute class- or collective-action waivers. Courts, rather than arbitrators, would determine whether the law applies to a particular case.
We ask congressional leaders to:
- Direct the House and Senate Judiciary Committees to hold markups and advance H.R. 5115 and S. 2703.
- Schedule prompt votes on the legislation in both chambers.
- Preserve the bill’s central guarantee that the worker, rather than the employer, decides whether an age-discrimination claim belongs in court or arbitration.
- Work across party lines to send the legislation to the president before the end of the 119th Congress.
Older Americans bring experience, judgment, stability, and institutional knowledge to the workplace. They should not be pushed aside because of their age—and then pushed into a secret chamber when they attempt to defend themselves.
A right that cannot be meaningfully enforced is not much of a right. Congress must ensure that protections against age discrimination exist not merely on paper, but in practice.
Pass the Protecting Older Americans Act. Let workers choose how justice is pursued.
2
The Issue
To Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries:
We call on congressional leaders to bring the Protecting Older Americans Act of 2025 (S. 2703 and H.R. 5115) out of committee, schedule votes in both chambers, and pass it without weakening its essential protections.
Age discrimination is widespread but remarkably few workers are able to challenge it successfully. According to an AARP survey of older adults, nearly 20% of workers said they had experienced workplace age discrimination since turning 40 -- yet only 1% had ever filed an official claim against an employer.
That enormous gap shows that the existing system discourages workers from seeking justice. Among those who experienced discrimination, 59% spoke to family members or friends, while just 6% contacted the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or an attorney.
Forced arbitration is the barrier standing in their way.
Many employees are required to accept arbitration clauses in hiring documents, employee handbooks, or electronic onboarding forms before any dispute has occurred. These provisions can prevent workers from bringing their claims before a jury and may also block them from joining with colleagues who experienced the same discriminatory treatment. The decision is made when workers have little bargaining power and no way of knowing what future misconduct they might encounter.
Most people do not even realize they have signed away these rights. The AARP survey found that only 13% of adults age 50 and older had ever reviewed their employment paperwork to determine whether it contained a mandatory arbitration clause.
The public overwhelmingly believes that workers deserve a genuine choice. 83% of believe that employees should have the right to bring age-discrimination cases in court rather than be forced into arbitration. 69% support federal legislation that would make forced arbitration of age-discrimination claims illegal. Notably, support was consistent across political parties.
The Protecting Older Americans Act would provide that choice. It would allow workers alleging age discrimination to reject predispute arbitration agreements and predispute class- or collective-action waivers. Courts, rather than arbitrators, would determine whether the law applies to a particular case.
We ask congressional leaders to:
- Direct the House and Senate Judiciary Committees to hold markups and advance H.R. 5115 and S. 2703.
- Schedule prompt votes on the legislation in both chambers.
- Preserve the bill’s central guarantee that the worker, rather than the employer, decides whether an age-discrimination claim belongs in court or arbitration.
- Work across party lines to send the legislation to the president before the end of the 119th Congress.
Older Americans bring experience, judgment, stability, and institutional knowledge to the workplace. They should not be pushed aside because of their age—and then pushed into a secret chamber when they attempt to defend themselves.
A right that cannot be meaningfully enforced is not much of a right. Congress must ensure that protections against age discrimination exist not merely on paper, but in practice.
Pass the Protecting Older Americans Act. Let workers choose how justice is pursued.
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Petition created on October 1, 2026