Age Discrimination Act of 1967 was the leading edge which paved the way for other legislation that came in the years after to ensure the rights of workers over the age of 40. Because workers may remain productive long after the age of 40, or even 50, laws were enacted to keep their rights and benefits in force. In fact, the law is specially for workers in the 40-70 age group. It is unlawful to refuse to hire, to fire, deny benefits, deny promotion and withhold benefits due to age. The Age Discrimination Act has its roots in the 1964 Civil Rights Act. While that act had the intent of stopping discrimination, it stopped short of mentioning age discrimination specifically. It mentioned gender and race but not age. The ADEA covers any company or organization which employs 20 or more people. The act forbids employees from limiting, segregating, or classifying an individual in a way that adversely affects their employment because of age. The Act authorizes the Secretary of Labor to conduct studies and provide information to labor unions, management, and the public about the abilities and needs of older workers and their employment potential and varied contributions to the economy. This information in turn is to be used to help workers remain productive as long as possible.