Gibbons Calls For End To Age Discrimination In The Workplace

house.gov, Nov 22, 2006

Congressman Jim Gibbons joined with several commercial airline pilots recently to rally support for raising the mandatory retirement age of pilots. A former pilot for Delta Airlines for 17 years, Gibbons is the original sponsor of legislation that would change the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rule and allow the retirement age to be raised from 60 to 65.

“Our nation has hundreds of experienced, skilled, and capable pilots. Unfortunately, they can not fly for any commercial airline because once they turn 60 they are forced to retire,” said Gibbons. “The age 60 rule imposed by the FAA has no basis in science, yet it is still on the books. It is time to rescind this outdated regulation, and allow our most experienced pilots to do their jobs.”

Gibbons added, “requiring all commercial airline pilots to retire the day they turn 60 years old is blatant age discrimination and nothing more…the rule was founded not out of a concern for public safety, but as a “quick-fix” to a labor dispute.”

Gibbons’ bill would direct the FAA to raise the mandatory retirement age of commercial airline pilots from 60 to the age at which Social Security benefits begin. As a result of this bill, the FAA could no longer force pilots into retirement before they are eligible to receive Social Security benefits.