editorials

Last week, President Bush signed a bill championed by U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., that raised the age limit for commercial pilots from 60 to 65, effective immediately. The law had been opposed by Northwest Airlines and its pilots, but supported by the national airline pilots group as well as some other airlines. The bill passed in part because of provisions requiring that older pilots renew a first-class medical certificate and do a flight check every six months. They also have to continue participation in Federal Aviation Administration pilot training and qualification programs.

The bill raises larger questions about the validity of mandatory retirement ages. Current state law requires police and fire employees to retire at 65, while private employers can impose retirement at age 70.

Arbitrary mandatory retirement ages lump people into crude groupings instead of assessing them as individuals. With our improved diagnostics, advanced medical technologies and increased life spans, it seems wasteful to force anyone to leave the workforce before their time.

In the age of pensions, workers were encouraged to retire because their annual benefits from the pensions capped at a certain age. But with 401(k)s and other defined contribution plans, that incentive to retire has diminished significantly, particularly for those who find that they have not socked away enough for their golden years.

It is true that older workers face medical maladies that younger workers do not. Starting at age 55, the odds of getting Alzheimer's disease doubles every five years, with 2 percent of 65-year-olds suffering from the disease. But it's also true that the broader picture of the health of older men and women, not just in life expectancy but also in the activity of older workers, has improved significantly, even in the last two decades.

Technological advancements also improve an older worker's ability to continue working because jobs can be done more quickly and efficiently and also with less physical effort.

Some argue that the country's demographics, with its steady increase in workers' age, also justifies the elimination of compulsory retirement ages. However, economic convenience is no more valid a reason for eliminating mandatory retirement ages than it would be if the demographics changed in favor of instituting them.

Oberstar argued that raising the retirement age for pilots made sense because the industry will need more older pilots in the years ahead and because workers should have the flexibility to work longer if they're healthy and effective.

As the workforce ages, there will be more debates like the one that played out over the pilots. Let's hope those policy decisions are just as sound.