Cecily O'Connor
RedwoodAge.com

As many baby boomers debate whether to stay in the workforce longer, some have no choice. Many careers carry mandatory retirement ages, and many workers are OK with that.

Airline pilots may face a mandatory retirement age of 65, instead of the current age 60 standard, if the current draft of the Transportation Bill becomes law. Some pilot labor groups are fighting the legislation, which is contributing to fresh debate about mandatory retirement ages in general. 

In addition to pilots, conversation also is swirling around other professions. Earlier this month, a 76-year-old Florida police deputy was fatally shot in the line of duty, prompting some to ask if he was too old to serve. A mandatory retirement age is allowed for public safety employers under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, but implementation is each agency's responsibility.

The standard mandatory separation age for law enforcement officers is age 57 and for firefighters it is age 55, according to the US Office of Personnel Management. The FBI, for example, has age limits set at 57 for special agents, while mandatory retirement age for air traffic controllers is 56. There even used to be mandatory retirement age for tenured university professors, but that was later done away as part of the Employment Act.

Overall, these may seem like earlier-than-normal retirement ages compared with other occupations in areas such as investment banking or engineering, which often employ retirees as consultants. Meanwhile, some companies are so concerned about loss of talent due to boomer retirements that they are even implementing programs to keep experienced workers on board, at least on a part-time basis. 

In general, the retirement process can be "murky and messy," said Stephen Sass, associate research director at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

"Workers don't know when their boss really wants them out, and bosses don't know when workers plan on retiring, whether they have enough money," said Sass, citing lack of structure due to the demise of the traditional defined benefit pension system. 

Politics
Indeed, the decision about when to retire is not always clear. Some affirmations of age, such as fading eyesight or weakening muscles, may force the issue for some workers. The Allied Pilots Association, which represents the 12,000 pilots of American Airlines, contends that a mandatory retirement age of 65 invites greater safety concerns.

"The issue we really hit hard is the (pilot) fatigue," said Capt. Karl Schricker, a boomer and spokesman for the APA. "The age is important because its keeps politics out of the cockpit and the retirement decision. (Sixty) has worked well for a long time."

Pilot fatigue has been linked to 10 commercial aviation accidents since 1993, according to APA, and older pilots have greater difficulty dealing with the physical demands of overnight flying and long flights across multiple time zones. 

The FAA has conceded that older pilots’ accumulated experience does not compensate for the impact of fatigue on their performance. But it is still endorsing a retirement age change, potentially altering the current 60 standard that's been in place nearly 50 years. The FAA decided to raise the age limit this year after the International Civil Aviation Organization increased its mandatory retirement age from 60 to 65, but with the requirement that a second pilot under 60 is also present in the cockpit. 

Implementation of the new standard is tied to the Transportation-Housing spending bill, now pending before the Senate. The president "plans to veto based on other issues in the bill, and we're giving him another reason to veto," Schricker said.